Oh, Brother!
by astracindel
Summary: After the zombie apocalypse begins the Scoobies are determined to save as many people as possible. Xander and Vi head to Georgia to set up a safe zone. Vi is determined to find her brothers and maybe Xander can find a kindred spirit in a damaged redneck.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Buffy the Vampire Slayer**_** or **_**The Walking Dead**_**. They belong to all of their various people and companies. No profit will be made, no infringement intended.**

Summary: After the zombie apocalypse begins the Scoobies are determined to save as many people as possible. Xander and Vi head to Georgia to set up a safe zone. Vi is determined to find her brothers and maybe Xander can find a kindred spirit in a damaged redneck.

Spoilers: All of _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ and I'll say all of _The Walking Dead_ TV series. The story will go AU, but the main parts of _The Walking Dead_ story line will be incorporated.

Warnings: This will eventually be slash. Don't like it, don't read it.

_**Oh, Brother**_

**Prologue**

After more than a decade fighting demons, imagine their surprise when the end of the world was caused by humans. Ok, so maybe they weren't that surprised, but it was a real kick in the ass that it was something they couldn't stop; by the time people knew what was happening it was already too late. Zombies! They were in a freakin' zombie apocalypse. According to Giles, they weren't **really** zombies because there was nothing mystical about them…but toe-may-toe, toe-mah-toe as far as Xander was concerned. If it looked like a zombie, smelled like a zombie, and tried to eat you like a zombie…then by gods it was a zombie.

For the most part, they had been lucky when the outbreak started. The core group had been in Cleveland, on a rare occasion when they could all be in the same place at the same it. No one knew what was happening when the news reports started. Two of the new slayers, who had just been cleared for patrols, went out to see what they could find; they didn't come back. Buffy and Faith had taken four other slayers with them to find the missing girls…they wished they hadn't. They didn't know what happened for sure, but judging from the mass amount of bodies found a short distance away, it looked like the new slayers had been swarmed. They found what was left of the girls wandering a few blocks away from the piles of bodies.

Buffy and Faith were worried the girls would still be slayers, with all of their gifts, in the zombie bodies. It took a bit of trial and error, but they realized the brain had to be destroyed…beheading wasn't enough. Luckily, when the girls died the first time, their powers went with them, so zombie slayers were not a worry. They found Cleveland was already devastated by this point, if anyone was still alive they weren't showing themselves at the time. While making their way back to the Cleveland house, they noticed something odd. The zombies would attack anything moving, except Buffy and Faith. If they had not been there, the other four girls would never have made it back.

Buffy explained what they had discovered when they made it back to the house. Giles thought the dead ignoring Buffy and Faith may have something to do with them being the last called slayers. He hypothesized that part of the basic instincts that were active in the dead recognized Buffy and Faith as a danger. The next few hours were spent with everyone walking along the gates to the Cleveland house, safely behind the fences. The dead tried to attack anyone who got close to the gate, except those who had been in Sunnydale during the final battle. Anyone who had been in Sunnydale could walk into the middle of a horde and be completely ignored. Except Xander, they actually seemed to _**run**_ _**from**_ Xander. Giles had to come up with a new hypothesis.

There were no books about what was going on, and with all of the Council's resources gone, or unreachable, the best they could do was make a guess. The best they could come up with was that when the seal in Sunnydale opened, they were all flooded with the energy of the hell dimension…making their energy just different enough for the zombies to not see them as food…possibly seeing them as already dead with all of the death energy the Hellmouth radiated. In Xander's case, it was decided it was just a matter of Xander being Xander…all of the things that had happened over the years with the hyena possession, being imbued with mermaid DNA, the funny syphilis, had all combined to make him seem different. Giles thought it was the minuscule mermaid taint remaining that caused the zombies to seem to run away from Xander; the dead sensing something that would be a bigger predator than them.

They made plans and set about securing several blocks around the slayer house for survivors to shelter. The Sunnydalers worked to set up barricades, since they could move freely without fear of attack. The other slayers at the house were sent out in small groups with at least one Sunnydaler with them to gather supplies, most often Xander so he could act as a repelling magnet as an extra precaution. Thanks to their ability to literally walk down the street swinging an axe without fear, Buffy, Faith, Xander, Giles, Dawn, Andrew, Vi, Rona, Kennedy, and Willow were able to clear ten blocks in every direction, which included a park, and barricade it in a little over two weeks. Patrols were set and any dead that made it through the barricade were quickly dispatched and the weakness repaired. Once areas were secure and the barricade finished, Giles, Andrew, Dawn, and Willow walked the entire perimeter adding magical protections, which put an end to the occasional breach in the walls.

The next several weeks were spent scavenging everything they could and creating the largest stockpile possible. They went through the city in a spiral, going through all of the buildings closest and moving further and further out. Plans were made to turn the park into farm land, every book on farming that could be found was brought to the compound; trips outside of the city to the surrounding areas were planned for crop seeds and a search for any livestock that may have survived…more books on animal care and how-to meat processing were brought to the compound. Occasionally, they would find survivors and bring them back to the encampment.

Six weeks after the end of the world, the slayers and remaining council had a secure compound that was on its way to being self-sufficient. The empty buildings were filling with the few survivors they were finding, and a safe community was being established with slayers as protection. The Sunnydalers were getting anxious though and set up a meeting. Faith, Vi, Rona, and Kennedy were getting restless, their inner slayer screaming at them that there were other people that needed them, while Buffy seemed to have become focused on Cleveland and protecting the area. It was decided Buffy and Giles would remain in Cleveland with the non-Sunnydale slayers for now. With Cleveland being a bit safer thanks to the Scoobies, the new slayers would make runs as needed around the area, getting as many supplies as possible and help to establish a point of safety for the northern United States.

Kennedy, Willow, Rona and Andrew were going to head west, helping as many people as they could in that direction and setting up another safe zone somewhere around Nebraska. After much yelling from Dawn refusing to stay in Cleveland, it was decided she and Faith would head to the northeast, informing people of the safe zone they had set up in Cleveland and helping as many people as possible. Faith said she had some people in Boston she needed to try to find. Xander and Vi were going to head south; Xander's repelling ability being the tradeoff for not having any magical support. At Vi's suggestion, they were going to work to set up a safe zone in Georgia. Once Faith and Dawn had covered as much of the northeast as they could, they would work their way down the coast and join up with Xander and Vi in establishing a new zone. Buffy had whined a bit about wanting Dawn with Xander since the dead would move in a different direction when they sensed him, it was better than just being ignored. Xander was quick to point out that there had to be a non-slayer present…there were going to be humans far worse than the dead now, and a slayer still could not hurt humans. Buffy had argued they needed to save all humans, but Giles quickly sided with Xander. Buffy deflated, remembering the humans they had faced before that were just as bad as or worse than the demons they were fighting; and disaster would either bring out the best or worst in people. She didn't like it, but admitted if Dawn couldn't be protected by Xander's repelling talent, then Faith was the next person she would want protecting her sister.

They hated that they were not able to cover more area, but they were going to try to help as many people as they could with their limited resources. Once the two new safe zones were set up and established, they would send the new Slayers to those areas, allowing the Sunnydales to again set out to cover more territory. It was a lofty plan, and they knew it was going to take years, but after all of this time not one of them could even consider just sitting in one spot and doing nothing to help the people still out there.

The next three days were spent preparing to head out. The most fuel efficient cars, that could still carry the supplies they would need, were selected. Clothes, food, water, weapons, and gasoline were shoved into every possible space available. They even had things stored in fender wells and in the door walls. The magic users cast glamours and etched ruins to hide what was really in the cars. It would not be good to make them targets for the less than ethical survivors that were sure to now be roaming. Protections were set to ensure no one was ever able to siphon gas from the tank, and no amount of hotwiring would be able to start the car without the specially charmed keys. Giles and Willow worked to create magical pendants that would allow the various groups to communicate when activated; they would need to stay in touch as they set up new areas and moved around the land. They spent the final night together as a family, eating, drinking, and sharing their happiest stories. The next morning tearful goodbyes were exchanged as everyone set out on journeys that they knew would keep them from their loved ones for months and possibly years to come. But, this was to important not to do.

**Chapter One**

They had been on the road for about two weeks now. They headed south from Cleveland, passing through Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. They had come across a few people along the way, telling all to head towards Cleveland, and just to say Xander and Vi had sent them. Xander had suggested spending more time in the areas looking for more survivors, but Vi seemed to be filled with an uncontrollable need to get to Georgia as quickly as possible. She reluctantly conceded to taking the slower back roads that would allow them to cover more than just the straight stretches the highways would provide. They made it into Georgia early the day before. They had been traveling along the edge of Atlanta when they had heard an explosion and could see huge plumes of smoke billowing into the air. They didn't stop. That much noise would attract too many of the dead. If there had been people there, they would have been overrun before Xander and Vi had a chance to get to them. They had continued south and stopped overnight outside of the city.

They left the car on the side of the road a few miles back before heading into the woods. Xander had insisted that as much as he liked his Twinkies, even he was not able to live on the salty overly-processed canned…stuff…that was Spam. He couldn't even call it meat. Xander insisted they had to find some real food. Thanks to his time in Africa, he had no problems hunting for his meals and cleaning and cooking them over an open fire. Xander offered to show Vi what he knew…as much as he could, the woods of Georgia were quite different than the plains of Africa.

"My brother showed me some stuff…before…before the Council came and took me away," Vi whispered, a melancholy tone in her voice.

"Ah, and is this brother the reason you've had your pants on fire, and mine, to get to Georgia?" Xander asked knowingly, glancing at the red-haired young woman out of the corner of his eye.

"Maybe…" Vi hedged, beginning to fidget nervously.

"You could have told us, you know. We would have understood, and maybe we could have made it here sooner. Faith even said she had people in Boston she wanted to find."

"I know. But, we all…we all have family scattered all over, everyone wants to find them. But, we're Slayers, we have to protect as many as we can. We had to secure Cleveland and get it set as a rallying point before we could do anything else. And, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I had just come straight to Georgia and didn't stop and help all of those people we found. That family in Kentucky would be dead right now if it wasn't for us…they had a baby. We have a mission, which has to come first…just…"

"You just really want to find your brother," Xander said softly. "I understand. So, tell me about him. What's he like?" Xander stopped them beside a creek, sitting on some rocks by the shore.

"Brothers actually," Vi began, settling beside Xander and pulling some water bottles from the pack she was carrying. They laid their weapons on the ground between them within easy reach.

"Well, tell me about your **brothers** then," Xander encouraged, giving the girl an understanding smile.

"They're both older than me…quite a bit older actually. Their mom had died in a house fire…our dad wasn't a very good guy. He was a stereotypically drugged-out prejudiced redneck. Mean, beat on my brothers. My mom was a 'girlfriend' and got pregnant. She was just as bad as him. My oldest brother was already out of the house, he'd been in and out of juvvie and ended up joining the military. My younger brother though, he took care of me. He was twelve when I was born. I don't remember a lot from that time, but everything I do remember, he was the one taking care of me. He would take me in the woods with him when he'd go hunting…or just go to get away from our dad. The Council showed up when I was five. He was out in the woods. Dad didn't care, just told them to take me, so he'd be rid of a useless mouth to feed…not that he ever fed me. So, they took me…I didn't get to say goodbye."

"The Council were dicks, and it sounds like you dad was too," Xander slung an arm around her shoulders. "How can you be sure he's still in Georgia? That was a long time ago…maybe he moved on."

"I tracked him down a few months ago," Vi admitted. Xander bumped her shoulder and grinned at her. "He was such an ass…didn't believe I was who I said I was at first. So, I kicked his ass and proved it." Xander snorted at this. "He was living with our brother…who was in lockup for thirty days for whatever, so it was just the two of us, like it used to be. We went to see our brother. Even after being in lock up for two weeks he was still drugged out of his head. He had no idea who I was, claimed he didn't remember having a sister. Said I was lying to get **his **brother to take care of me. We left. I'm not sure if I want to find Merle or not. He wasn't there when I was little…and he's such a dick. But, Daryl and I…we re-bonded. I had missed him so much. Xander, I…I told him everything."

Xander nodded. "Figured you had, or were going to ask to bring him into the fold. How'd you get him to believe you about the vampires and demons…oh my?"

"We went into the woods and I tracked a chupacabra that had been killing the local livestock. Killed that. Introduced him to a Nii'sha demon that was living in a cave we found. He had a fit about his baby sister being involved in stuff that was too dangerous for her…so I lifted the front end of his truck over my head for him," Vi grinned mischievously. "I was going to have him come up in a couple of months…introduce him to everyone…but then this."

"Yeah, this. So, where do we need to start looking? What part of Georgia was he in?"

"We've actually already made it past where they had been staying." Xander gave her a shocked look and started to open his mouth. "No, it's ok. I can't explain it, but I knew he wasn't still there. I can feel him…"

"Feel him?" Xander questioned.

"Yeah, I can't explain it. I've just had this feeling that he was this way…something kept pulling at me. Now, I don't know exactly where he is, but he's close. I can **feel** him. I don't think our brother is with him, but I was never close to Merle so I don't know if I would feel anything regarding him or not."

"Well, alrighty then. If the inner slayer says find him, we'll find him." Xander declared. Vi gave him a relieved smile. "So, what should I be looking for? What's he look like? Is he cute?"

Vi giggled. Xander grinned at her…mission accomplished. "I'm not sure how he would react to you asking if he is cute. He didn't have a girlfriend though…so maybe. It wasn't something I asked about. He's about your height, blondish brown hair. He's built like you before Sunnydale fell in…you know, before you went and got all African wilderness buff on us." She shoulder bumped him.

"Nothing like walking all over Africa, fighting for your life to get rid of the fat and build up the muscles," Xander nodded sagely. There was suddenly the sound of leaves crunching and something running towards them. They grabbed their weapons and pointed them in the direction of the sound.

A young girl, no more than twelve or thirteen, broke through the woods a few feet from them with one of the dead quickly following behind her. Vi jumped up and immediately dealt with the zombie. Xander grabbed the little girl and pulled her away, trying to calm her down.

"Shh…shh. It's okay. We won't hurt you. Are you okay? What's your name?" Xander ran a calming hand up and down her back.

Vi knelt in front of the girl, getting the girl to focus on her. "Hey sweetie. You're okay. I promise. We'll protect you, we won't hurt you. Where did you come from?"

The little girl got her breathing under control. He looked at her saviors and tears began to run down her cheeks. "I'm Sofia…and I want my mommy."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I realized I didn't establish a timeline in the previous chapter. For _The Walking Dead_ the setting is the beginning of season two. _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ is more than five years post-series/post-_Chosen_. (Ignoring the _Buffy_ comics.) Daryl's age is a bit ambiguous on the show, for this story I'm making him mid-to-late thirties. That should make Xander late-twenties/thirty-ish and Vi mid-twenties-ish.

Warning for this chapter: There is mention of past abuse. Nothing very graphic, but it could trigger.

**Chapter Two**

Sofia tried to calm down as she stared at her two saviors. The guy was kind of scary looking. He was big and muscle-y, had longish, floppy dark hair, and a scruffy beard. Most men had a scruffy beard now, though; it wasn't like they really had the time or stuff to get the hair off their face; even her daddy had started to get a fuzzy face before he was eaten. The guy had an eye patch over his left eye that made him kind of scary, but he had a nice smile and his other eye didn't look mean. The girl looked really nice, though. She had bright red hair, and a pretty smile. She kept promising they would protect her. She looked at both of them. They both had worried looks on their faces and kept asking if she was okay.

"Of course you want your mommy, sweetheart," the girl said. "Where did you come from? Maybe we can help you find her? My name is Vi…it's short for Violet. And this is Xander. Don't let the eye patch fool you. He's really just a big ol' cuddly teddy-bear."

"Argh! Don't be callin' me no teddy-bear, ye scallywag! I'm a pirate. Argh!" Xander said, with the most exaggerated pirate voice he could make, tossing his arm around like he had a hook for a hand. He smiled widely when Sophia giggled at him. He gave her one of the bottles of water Vi had pulled out for them earlier. "Here, honey. Drink it slowly, then maybe you can tell us what happened."

Sofia took the water and started to gulp. Vi pulled the bottle from her lips and told her to slow down before she made herself sick. Sofia nodded her understanding and began to slowly sip at the wonderful water. She hadn't had anything to drink in what felt like forever. When she had enough to drink, she felt ready to talk.

"We were on the highway," the lithe girl began. "We were searching the cars while Dale tried to fix the RV. There was a bunch of Walkers…"

"Walkers?" Xander interrupted.

"Yeah. The things dead people turn into." Xander nodded his understanding. "There was a bunch of Walkers, and we had to get under the cars. I thought they were gone and started to move…but there were still more of them. I ran into the woods when one found me under the car. Mr. Rick came after me, but her left me…."

Xander and Vi looked at each other. Neither could imagine leaving a child alone in the woods with the dead chasing after them.

"What happened?" Vi encouraged the girl to continue.

"There were two walkers following us. Mr. Rick told me to hide and he would get them to go away. He told me which way to go to get back to my mom. I waited for the two Walkers to follow Mr. Rick. I started back to the highway and my mom…but I heard something…and started running…in the wrong direction." Sophia started to sob. "It started getting dark. I found a house and hid in the closet."

"Oh, honey." Vi pulled Sophia into her arms and began rocking her. "You were so smart to hide in that closet," she crooned.

Sophia sobbed for several minutes before getting herself under control. "This morning, I left the house. I started walking in the direction I thought the highway was. But, then that Walker…the one you killed…found me. I ran and ran and ran. I thought he was going to get me; but then you saved me."

"You are a very brave girl, Sophia," Xander told the willowy girl. "You did the right thing by hiding in that closest then running away from the zom…Walker…that was chasing you. That was a very brave thing to do." Sophia gave him a small prideful smile. "You said your mom was on the highway with others?" Sophia nodded. "Okay. We left our car on the highway too. It is a few miles back that way," Xander pointed over his shoulder. "It's getting late though. We won't be able to make it back before dark. There was a cabin just over that hill there though," Xander indicated the hill behind him. "We'll stay there for the night, then first thing in the morning, we'll head back to the highway and try to find your mom. Okay?"

Sophia nodded timidly. "Promise we'll find my mom in the morning?"

"Oh, sweetie," Vi hugged the girl. "We promise we will start **looking** for your mom in the morning." Vi and Xander shared a look, both knowing they couldn't promise to find the young girl's mother…but they would do everything they could to look for her and protect the young girl that had stumbled into their lives.

Sophia nodded, giving both of them a look far too old for her age. "Thank you."

"It's what we do, sweetie," Xander ruffled her hair as the three of them began to move in the direction Xander had indicated the cabin was located. "Now come on. We need to make sure the cabin is safe and get something fixed for dinner. 'Cause, I don't know about you…but I'm **starving**!" Xander claimed dramatically. "I'm about to waste away to nothing here." Xander held his hand out to the young girl.

Sophia giggled at him and looked at his face for a long minute. She apparently came to a decision as she nodded to herself and took his hand. Vi came up on her other side, taking the other hand, and the three began to make their way to the cabin to prepare dinner and bed down for the night.

When they made it to the cabin Vi went in to clear it. It wouldn't be good to have Xander go in, only for one of the dead to come scrambling out trying to get away from him, and terrify Sofia. They quickly secured the house and settled down to prepare a meal with the supplies Xander and Vi had in their packs.

"Well, looks like it's still Spam, oh great hunter," Vi laughed at Xander's disgruntled look.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up. I **will** get us some real meat," Xander pointed at the redhead for emphasis.

"You hunt?" Sophia asked softly. Her eyes got huge at all of the cans they were pulling from their packs. They had Spam, green beans, carrots, and even a can of blueberry pie filling. Blueberries were her favorite.

"Not very well…at least not here," Xander answered as he worked to open the cans and dish the food out for the three of them. "I was in Africa for a while a few years ago. I had to hunt my own food there, and I got really good at it. It's a little different here; different terrain…different animals. I'll get adjusted soon though, then just you wait. I'll have so many critters you won't know what to do."

Sofia grinned at the silliness Xander was showing. She decided she liked him. He was funny, and he hadn't been mean at all since she had met him. "Mr. Daryl would hunt for us. He mostly got squirrels, sometimes some rabbit or other animal that I'm not sure of…but it had a really ugly face with a pointy nose. He'd bring in as many as he could find, then my mom would help cook them. I helped her sometimes. Mr. Daryl could be really loud and mean sometimes. But he was always really nice to me when I asked him questions about how to hunt. He'd get this really sad look sometimes when he was telling me stuff, then make me go back to my mom."

Vi and Xander shared a look at Sophia's story.

"Mr. Daryl, huh. He sounds like a good guy," Xander prompted.

"Yeah. He has this really cool crossbow that he uses. And he's really brave and tough. The adults didn't seem to like him much, but I think he's just lonely," Sophia told them as she quickly ate the food that was given to her. She was so hungry. "Something happened to his brother. He'd went into Atlanta with some others, but didn't come back. Mr. Daryl and Mr. Rick went back to look for him, but they didn't find him. I was kinda glad…Mr. Merle wasn't very nice. He would say and do some really bad things; like my dad would say to me and my mom."

Vi hitched a small sob, and wiped a tear from her cheek. She had no doubt little Sophia had been with her brothers. Daryl was close, and probably out looking for Sophia now. She wasn't surprised to hear Merle was being an ass to others, and she honestly wasn't that upset that he wasn't with Daryl. Sure, he was her brother, but she didn't really know him and he had said he didn't have a sister. She felt hope spring in her chest that she would be seeing her brother soon.

Xander watched Vi's reaction as he opened the can of blueberries and gave the entire thing to Sophia. He was happy for Vi, and tried to give her a happy smile, but it came off looking more uneasy than happy.

"Oh!" Sophia gasped, eyes wide, when she was given the entire can of fruit. "You have to take some. I can't eat all of this, it isn't right."

Xander and Vi had been slipping extra bits of food onto Sophia's plate the entire time they had been eating. Who knew how long it had been since the girl had eaten. He had seen the way her eyes had lit up when he pulled out that can of pie-filling.

"Go ahead. I'm stuffed. Couldn't eat another bite if I tried." Xander encouraged.

"He's right, honey. I'm so full I feel like I'm going to pop," Vi nodded. "The can is already open, we can't let it go to waste, so you eat it."

"Thank you," Sophia breathed. "Blueberries are my favorite. I love anything that has blueberries in it."

"I like 'em too," Xander smiled. "We'll head out first thing in the morning to look for your mom…is your dad still with her and the others?" Xander didn't like the comment she had made about her dad.

"No," Sophia shook her head. "Dad got eaten right before we left the quarry. A bunch of Walkers came through our camp. A lot of people died that night. Does it make me a bad person to be glad my dad isn't here anymore?"

Xander put his arm around the girl's shoulders as she sat the empty can down and wrapped her arms tightly around the knees she pulled to her chest. "No, sweetie. It doesn't make you a bad person. Sometimes people can do so many bad things to you that you just can't care about them anymore. It hurts too much to care. I wasn't sad when I found out my parents were dead."

"Were they mean to you?" she asked sadly.

"Yeah. But, when I got older I made a new family, and I care about them more than anything in the world. We might argue with each other sometimes, but I know they care about me too. We'll make sure you make it back to your new family."

"Ok. I'm really tired."

Vi got Sophia settled on the surprisingly clean couch in the living room as Xander cleaned up after their meal. They sat in silence for a while making sure Sophia was deeply asleep before saying anything else.

"That poor girl. She's been through so much," Vi whispered sadly.

'Yeah, but she survived it. And she survived a day in zombie infested woods alone. She's tough. Tougher than even she realizes. She's going to be fine, we'll make sure of it."

"Daryl would get between our dad and me. I remember one time was really bad. Daryl's back was cut open, and there was blood everywhere. I've always felt so guilty for him going through all of that pain because of me," Vi choked back a sob.

"Don't," Xander snapped. Vi gave him a confused look. "Don't take that away from him. He protected you because he loved you. You feel guilty for that, and it takes away from what he did for you. I don't think he would ever want your guilt or pity…he'd probably get pretty pissed about it actually. I know I would."

"You're right," Vi conceded. "What he did is no different than me going out every night fighting demons to keep others safe."

"Hey, Vi. Why'd it take you so long to find him? Sunnydale fell years ago. You could have went looking for him at any time. We would have helped even."

"Part of me was afraid to find him," Vi confessed. "I'm so different from the little girl he remembers. What if he couldn't deal with it? What if he said he never wanted to see me again, you know? I kept thinking about it, but never got up the courage. Then, a couple of months ago…I just felt it was time. I had to find him, let him know everything. It…it was time. And it was important for him to know."

"Hmm…"

"I can't believe we're this close to finding him…that the girl we saved was with my brother."

Xander snorted bitterly.

"What are you thinking?" Vi asked. She had not missed the look on Xander's face when he realized Sophia had been with her brothers.

"I'm thinking I need to find some lube, 'cause I can feel the Powers pushing against my asshole," Xander grumbled.

Vi giggled at the description but sobered quickly. She sighed heavily. "Damn it, you're right. Shit. Time for a conference call?"

"Time for a conference call," Xander agreed as he tapped the pendant around his neck, sending a signal to the others that someone needed to report in.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Buffy the Vampire Slayer**_** or **_**The Walking Dead**_**. They belong to all of their various people and companies. No profit will be made, no infringement intended.**

**Chapter Three**

Xander and Vi had moved to the front steps outside the cabin to keep from waking Sophia while they were talking to the others. It had taken an hour for everyone to be able to activate their pendants. General reports had been made; everyone reporting on how many people they had seen, how badly areas were overrun with the dead, and just general "We're okay" reports. Once everyone was up to speed on what was going on everywhere else Xander brought up the issue that was bothering him.

"So, uh guys, we might have an issue building here," Xander said, staring at his feet. They had used the pendants a few times now, but he didn't think he would ever get used to talking into thin air. On the bright side though, nothing funky had happened when he used the magical item.

"What's wrong, Xander?" Buffy's worried voice came clearly from Xander's neck. _Weirdest thing ever_.

"I don't think it's really anything **wrong**, per se, but it's definitely something," Xander hedged.

"Xander, please," Giles' tired voice.

"It's me," Vi said. Xander gave her an encouraging nod, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I've been feeling a pull…something urging me to get to Georgia. My brother is here and I can feel him. There's something telling me I **have** to find him. Not just like…oh, it's my brother…but it's like a desperate need."

"I didn't know you had a brother," Willow's comforting voice floated through the air.

"Yeah. Two actually…the oldest…he's not the greatest. But, Daryl, he raised me before the Council found me. I had wanted to find him ever since Sunnydale…but I was scared. A few months ago though, something clicked and I had to find him. It was imperative that I find him and tell him about everything. That's when I went off on my own for a bit, said I just needed some time alone."

"Did you find him?" Andrew asked.

"Yeah. I told him everything, proved it. He believed me. I was going to have him come to Cleveland in a few months to introduce him at our next gathering."

"But then the dead started walking. And what, now you can't control the need to find him again?" Dawn asked pensively.

"Yup," Xander answered. "She says she can feel him close to where we are now. And today we were just _**lucky**_ enough to find a little girl that had been travelling with the same group as Daryl. They're somewhere along the same highway we parked our car on."

"Damn." Faith hissed.

"What?" Xander demanded.

"Faith has been feeling the same thing," Dawn explained. "Only it's pulling her to Boston. She wanted to come here anyway, but this is more than Faith wanting to get something done. She was fighting the pull, so it's taken us longer to get here…but we're right outside of Boston now. I swear, she's as worked up as Andrew at a comic-con."

"I'm not that bad," Faith growled.

"Yeah, you are," Dawn muttered back.

"Rona and I have been feeling it too," Kennedy whispered. "It was taking us toward Nebraska like we planned, but then it shifted north. We'll be heading into South Dakota soon."

"There's something there we have to find," Rona said.

"More like someone probably," Buffy sighed.

"Anyone else wanting lube for their ass before the Powers screw us?" Xander asked. Several snorts of laughter filled the air around him and Vi.

"Yes, as eloquent as ever Xander," Giles admonished. Xander could just picture the man rubbing furiously at his glasses. "While this is a bit disconcerting, there doesn't seem to be anything it that can be done about it. Vi, you said it was drawing you to your brother, correct? Faith, are you being pulled to those you wanted to find?"

"Maybe," Faith sighed. "I think so, but I'm not sure. It's been a really long time since I seen these guys. They're good guys…helped me out before I was called. Helped a lot of people actually. I owe them."

"We have no idea," Willow said. "None of us know anyone in this area."

"Maybe you're all being led to people that can help," Buffy said hopefully. "The world is gone. There's nothing for the Powers to mess with. Maybe they're trying to help get things back on track so they have their toys back."

"Oh yeah, that's just what I want to do," Xander drawled sarcastically. "Save the world just so the Powers can fuck it up again."

"Really, Xander," Giles sighed. "But, I agree with the sentiment. For now though, there doesn't seem to be anything we can do. Keep to the plans we have made…follow…follow this pull you're all feeling. Just make sure to check in often. And please, stay safe. All of you."

Everyone said their goodbyes and wishes for safe journeys. The air around Xander and Vi fell silent as the magic in their pendants went dormant. They sat in silence for a few moments, watching the woods around them. A single zombie shambled out of the woods directly in front of them. It began to shuffle in their direction, only to pause and look at them. As quickly as a dead guy with a broken ankle could, it turned and began shuffling away from them. Xander growled, pulled the knife from the sheath he kept attached to his belt, and started after it. The closer Xander got to the zombie, the faster it tried to move away. Xander wasn't in the mood to play "taunt the zombie" though. He was able to make it to the zombie in a few quick steps, bringing his knife down into the top of its skull. He gave a disgusted kick to the body and made his way back to the cabin.

Vi was grinning at him when he made it back. He raised an eyebrow at her in question. "I have visions of Elmer Fudd chasing Bugs Bunny around a tree every time you go after those things. I'm just waiting for you to start saying "Here, zombie, zombie, zombie" as you go after them."

Xander chuckled at her. "It does get pretty annoying when you want to kill something and it just runs away from you. At least they **stand still** for you. You don't look like something out of a cartoon chasing after the things. Go on in and get some sleep. I'll stay on watch and wake you in a few hours. I'm going to drag that body further into the woods. It wouldn't be good for Sophia to see it as soon as she comes out in the morning."

"Are you sure? Slayer here, remember. I don't need as much sleep as you."

"Which is why I am taking first watch," Xander smirked. "It's about nine now…I'll wake you about one. Sunrise isn't until after six. I'll be nice and rested while you'll have been up most of the night."

"Don't ever let anyone accuse you of not being a gentleman," Vi snarked. "Fine. You drag the body. I'm gonna get some sleep. See you in a few hours." Vi walked back into the cabin.

At sunrise Vi walked into the cabin. Xander had taken the area of the floor directly in front of the couch Sophia was sleeping on. Vi knew from experience there was no way anyone was getting within ten feet of them without Xander coming off that floor ready to attack. Xander slept lighter than a feather, and she didn't feel like dodging whatever weapon Xander would pull out of who-knows-where. One time dodging his battle ax…that she swears he had to have shoved up his ass…was enough. She looked around the room she was standing in, trying to find something to help her. She found a dog toy in the corner and picked it up. Vi moved near the door on the other side of the room and lobbed the plush toy at Xander's head…direct hit.

Xander came up off the floor with his knife in hand and ready to stab forward before he even opened his eye. He stopped and looked around confusedly. "The hell?"

"Rise and shine sleepy head," Vi chirped.

Xander looked around and spotted the plush toy at his feet. "Did you just throw a dog toy at my head?"

"Yup. Kind of appropriate, don't ya think? You were playing guard dog for Soph," Vi smiled brightly.

"Oh, ha ha. Aren't you just a hoot? Proud of that, are you?" Vi nodded, grinning widely. "What time is it? And please tell me we have some instant coffee. Caffeine would be of the good. No, not just of the good. Caffeine is a necessity." Xander groaned as he stretched the kinks out of his back. "Oh, I am getting to old for slumber parties on the floor."

"Old man, you get started on breakfast and I'll get Soph up. No coffee, but I think I have a can of soda in my pack," Vi shooed Xander to the side while she knelt in front of the couch. She brought her hand up and began to gently comb her fingers through the young girl's hair. "Hey, Sophia. It's time to wake up sweetie. Come on, rise and shine. You're here with Xander and Vi remember? You're safe. Come on, time to get up."

Sophia's eyes fluttered open. Her breath hitched and started to quicken when she first spotted Vi. Then she remembered where she was and who she was with. She gave the redhead a small smile and sat up. "Good morning, Miss Vi."

"Good morning, honey. But, it's just Vi. You wouldn't call a sister Miss would you?" Vi asked. Sophia shook her head. "Well, then, you don't call me Miss, cause we're sisters now. I'll watch out for you like a big sister should, ok?"

Sophia smiled brightly and nodded. "Okay…Vi."

"Well, alright then. Let's go see what Xander has for us this morning." Vi took the girl's hand and lead her into the kitchen where Xander was digging food out of more cans for their breakfast.

"Good morning, Mr. Xander."

"Good morning, Soph. But none of that mister stuff. It makes me feel old." Xander clutched at his chest dramatically. Sophia laughed and smiled at him.

"You know Soph, Xander is like a big brother to lots and lots of girls," Vi told her.

"How?"

"He worked at a special school just for girls. He helped take care of us, taught us stuff. Threatened to beat up boyfriends…just like a big brother."

"Is that how you met him?" Sophia asked while digging into the plate of cold Spam, corn, and peas Xander placed in front of her.

"I met him before he started working at the school. But he taught me lots of stuff and protected me when I needed it."

"Yup. I know lots more girls than I do guys. That's why I know how strong and brave girls really are," Xander smiled, stealthily slipping some of his Spam onto Sophia's plate when she looked up at him.

"I'm not strong or brave," Sophia whispered. "Daddy always said girls are worthless."

"Of course you are strong and brave. You made it all by yourself in the woods didn't you? That was really brave. Don't ever let anyone tell you that you can't do something just because you're a girl. Your dad had no idea what he was talking about. Every girl I know can kick anyone's butt…especially mine."

"Really?"

"Yup. Now, let's get finished up so we can start looking for your mom and the others," Xander smiled at the girl. Sophia finally gave a smile bright enough to light up her eyes and quickly finished her meal.

They gathered their belongings and were ready to begin their search. Before heading out the door Xander knelt in front of Sophia, making her look him in the eye.

"I need you to listen to me sweetie, and do exactly what I say. Okay?" Sophia nodded. "While we're out there, you need to stay between me and Vi all of the time. If the zom…Walkers…try to come after us, **don't** run away. _**Stay with us.**_ We'll keep you safe, we promise, but you have to stay right with one of us at all times. No matter how scary it might be, you have to be brave and trust that we'll protect you. Can you do that?"

Sophia nodded. She looked scared, but her shoulders and eyes showed her determination.

"That's our brave girl. Now, I want you to take this," Xander handed Sophia a metal ball bat he had attached to the side of his pack. "I know you don't have the strength to do a lot of damage…we'll work on that…or the height to get enough leverage to do enough damage to their brain. What you can do is bash in their knees. If a zom…Walker…doesn't have knees, it can't, well, walk…so it can't get to you as easily. If something happens, you aim for the knees and once the thing is down you get next to me or Vi. If you can at all, get next to me. Vi will protect you…she's one of the strongest and bravest women I know…but I'm better at dealing with the Walkers. Okay? Do you understand?"

"Aim for the knees. Get to you or Vi. You're better with Walkers, so I should try to get to you first if I can," Sophia repeated back.

"Good girl," Vi said, holding out her hand. "Come on then. Let's go find your family."

"Mis…ahh...Vi," Sophia whispered. "I gotta use the restroom."

"Oh, honey. I'm so sorry. I didn't even think. You know what…we know the cabin is safe. No one will be back here. Go inside and use the bathroom in there. Xander and I will stay out here to make sure nothing comes in. Okay? It'll be better than trying to squat in the woods like I did before you got up this morning." Sophia nodded and headed back inside, swinging her new bat at her side.

"Did you see it?" Xander asked once Sophia was behind the closed doors of the cabin.

"Oh, you mean that big ol' hairy mole on the back of her shoulder?" Vi scoffed. "Yeah, I saw it. I'm starting to think I might need some of that lube you were talking about after all."

"Uh huh. She's what, twelve? So she would have been too young to have been activated when Willow cast the spell. The youngest we found was ten."

"Yeah. Thank goodness the new girls aren't activated until they're at least thirteen. So, we would have been looking for her soon-ish anyway. Gods, Xander. What are the odds?"

"Still being pulled, or did it stop when we found her?"

Vi didn't answer right away. She paused to really think about what Xander had asked and how she was feeling now. "I'm still being pulled. It has slacked off a bit…but I'm still feeling the need to head…umm…I think it's east. That way." Vi pointed off to the left.

"That's south actually," Xander chuckled. "And I don't like the coincidences…but there's nothing we can do right now. Just stay alert. It's not like we'd walk away from the girl just 'cause this is becoming seriously Hellmouth level freaky. Okay then. We're off to find the wizard….or…err…redneck, as the case may be."

"Yeah, he's definitely a redneck. He's just not the prejudice asshole he lets people think he is."

"That's good, 'cause Willow would flambé his ass. Then Dawn would dance in the ashes."

Xander and Vi were laughing when Sophia came out of the cabin.

"All ready?" Vi asked.

"Yep. I want to find my mom."

Since Sophia said the group had stopped on the highway, Xander and Vi decided to head back towards their car, then drive on and see if the group was still in the same place. Xander didn't hold out much hope. Sophia would have been missing for two days at this point. But, if Sophia could remember where they had stopped, it would give them a starting point for their search.

They ran into a group of three Walkers on their journey. Sophia tensed up, obviously terrified…until the Walkers turned and began to move away from them. Xander went after them, to ensure they would stay away from their young charge. He had to move into a quick jog to catch them.

"Why did they run away from you?" Sophia asked when Xander made it back to them after killing the Walkers.

"They didn't run away from me," Xander replied. "It just looked like it. They must have heard something else that got their attention and they stared going after it."

"I didn't hear anything. And I seen them look at you…then they turned around. They never…they always try to eat people. Why did they run away from you?" Sophia demanded.

Xander and Vi exchanged a worried look, trying to decide what to tell the young girl. They had an entire conversation in seconds. They both realized it was just a matter of time before they would be tell Sophia this story anyway…but they were in a hurry. They settled for telling her an abridged version of Slayers and what made Xander the way he was.

"We're special," Vi spoke up, stopping them to kneel down to look Sophia in the eye.

"How?"

"Remember that special school for girls I told you about?" Sophia nodded. "Well, it wasn't **just** for girls…it was for **special** girls. Girls that are stronger, faster, and heal quicker than normal girls. Girls that fight monsters to keep everyone else safe."

Sophia looked at her with wide eyes.

"Will you sit down?" Xander asked, lowering himself to the ground. Sophia sat beside him, staring at him with wide eyes, clearly wanting answers. Xander took a minute to figure out how to explain demons to the terrified little girl. Walking corpses where nothing now, but people still had a hard time with the other evils in the world. "A long time ago very bad things, demons, terrorized people…like the…the Walkers are doing now. They hunted and killed people. Some men got together and decided they needed someone who could fight the bad things. They found a girl…and figured out how to give her the abilities the bad things had. They made her faster, stronger, able to heal really fast. They made her able to fight the bad things."

"Did she? Did she fight the bad things?" Sophia asked, getting wrapped up in the story.

"She did. But, there were a lot of the bad things, and one day, one of the bad things…she died. But, when she died, another girl took her place. This girl was faster, stronger, and healed really fast too. And so it went. On and on and on. When one special girl would die, another would take her place. These girls were called Slayers…and they fought the bad things…the demons…that wanted to hurt people. The men that made her that way became known as Watchers…the Council of Watchers. When a girl was found that had a special mark, meaning she may become a slayer, the Watchers would take her from her family and train her to fight the demons. That was all she would know…how to fight demons. No family, no friends…just fighting."

"That doesn't sound very fun," Sophia said sadly.

"It wasn't," Vi agreed. "But it isn't like that for the girls anymore."

"But, this did go on for hundreds of years," Xander continued. He gave Vi a sympathetic smile, knowing she was one of the girls the Watchers had taken from their family. "Then, one day, a very special girl in California became **The** **Slayer**. She was different from all of the other girls, because the Watchers didn't find her until she was Called. They didn't train her to fight like they did the others.

This new girl…she didn't do things the way the Watchers thought she should. She had friends that helped her. And sometimes…sometimes things happened to her friends too. Her best female friend became really good at magic."

"Magic?"

"Yes…magic is real," Xander said. He performed the only bit of magic he knew. He made a small flame appear on the tip of his finger; it was a trick that had helped him more times than he could count while he was in Africa.

"Wow," Sophia breathed, eyes focused on the flame dancing on the end of Xander's fingertip.

"Yeah," Xander grinned and banished the flame. He continued his story. "Her friend didn't just learn magic…she became the strongest magic user in the world. The new Slayer had a best male friend too. He didn't have any special abilities…he didn't learn magic, he wasn't really strong, or really smart. But, he stayed by her side, fighting with her against everything she had to face. She tried to send him away because he was "normal"…but he wouldn't let her."

"GOOD!" Sophia shouted. She blushed when she realized she had blurted. "I mean…just 'cause he doesn't have super powers doesn't mean he can't help. Right?"

"That's right," Xander and Vi smiled at her. "It took the girl years and years to learn that, but eventually she did. So, her best male and female friends fought with her for years. The Watchers didn't like it, but she didn't care. She told them they had more experience fighting the bad things than all the Watchers together, who just sat back and wrote things down but never fought. They fought lots and lots of bad things. They fought a vampire that was over three hundred years old, a vampire that wanted to suck everyone into hell, a demon that wanted to eat the world, the military that didn't know what they were doing, a **God** that wanted to destroy everything…and the normal male friend…he saved the world when the female friend got so lost in her magic she almost destroyed the whole planet. He saved everyone because he loved his friend so much he wouldn't let her be alone when she lost the person she loved most."

"Wow. He is a really good friend."

"He's the best," Vi agreed. She gave Xander a loving smile. She might not have been in Sunnydale for these events, but she had heard the stories. She wasn't alone in her hero-worship of Xander. The potentials that had come to Sunnydale before the Fall watched as Xander fought with them…watched as he lost his eye and still fought by their sides. Xander was…well, he was Xander, and that said more than words could ever convey.

"Then, they had the hardest battle they had ever faced. They had to fight the very First Evil. The first time man did something evil…it became conscience. That evil grew for thousands and thousands of years. And the Slayer and her friends had to fight it."

"Did they win?"

"They did," Xander smiled. "But, it took more than just the Slayer and her friends. The First started killing every girl that could become a slayer. Those girls, called Potentials, went to the Slayer. She protected them. In order to defeat the First Evil…those Potentials had to become real Slayers too. So, The Slayer and her friends found a way to make the Potentials…Slayers. The Slayer and all of the Potentials went into hell to fight the First. The Slayer's female friend…the most powerful witch in the world…used a special weapon to channel the essence of the Slayer into all of the girls who had the potential to become a slayer. Her male friend stayed with her…but he didn't go into hell. He stayed where he could fight anything that might get past her and the other slayers-to-be. The female friend cast her spell…**and it worked**, better than they ever thought it could. It wasn't just the Potentials with the Slayer that became slayers too…but all the girls around the world that had the potential became slayers at the same time. The Slayer and the new Slayers beat the Frist Evil…and sealed the way she had been coming into the world."

"But that's not all," Vi said, seeing Sophia about to say something.

"No, that's not the end. The slayers and her friends all survived the battle. But now…it wasn't just **THE** slayer…there were hundreds of slayers across the world…who didn't know what they were. So, they split up. The Slayer went to Europe for a while. The second Slayer stayed in the United States. The Slayer's best female friend…the super witch…went to South America to look for new Slayers. A few of the new Potential-turned-Slayers went to Asia… And her best male friend…He went to Africa."

"You were in Africa," Sophia said, remembering the conversation about hunting the night before.

"That's right. I was in Africa looking for all of the girls that had been Called to be a Slayer. I spent years there. I walked from one end to the other."

"And I was one of the Potentials that became a Slayer while fighting the First Evil," Vi said.

"After all of the Potentials became Slayers…they needed somewhere to train. To learn how to use the abilities they suddenly had. So, we started a school…schools actually, all around the world. We searched and found as many of the new slayers as we could. We sent them to special schools so they could learn how to use their new powers. And, once they learned all they could, the new slayers went back out into the world to protect the normal people. But we didn't take them away like the old Council did. We made sure the girls still had their families."

"When Xander wasn't looking for slayers in Africa, he was teaching them how to use weapons. Xander is really, really good with weapons. And he was the big brother everyone needed."

"Is that why the Walkers run from you?"

"We don't know for sure. We think it's a combination of a different reasons. Lots of things happened when we were fighting the bad things…the demons. Bad things happened that changed me enough to be…well…not quite one-hundred percent human. Did you know mermaids are real?" Sophia shook her head. "Well, they are. And, they're not the pretty things that marry princes either! Things happened, and some mermaid DNA was mixed with mine. There was an evil magic user, and he made us all turn into our Halloween costumes…I was a soldier. We went to the zoo once, and another magic user was trying to do something bad. I ended up being possessed by a hyena. I literally grew up on top of the opening to Hell. All of those things changed me, bit by bit. But, I never gave up, and I never walked away…no matter what. Now, we protect people from the Walkers. We're trying to set up safe areas all around the country."

"So, you're like heroes. Not like Mr. Rick and Mr. Shane being policemen…but real superheroes. And the Walkers run away from you because of that."

"No, honey. We're not heroes," Vi gave the young girl a hug. "And the Walkers only run away from Xander. The ones of us that were fighting The First Evil…the Walkers ignore us, but they don't run away. We don't know why it's like that, but it is. We use it to help as many people as we can. Regular people don't know about us though. They can't know about us. Most normal people aren't able to understand…to accept…that there is more in this world than just them. Even now…people don't want to know that there are people…girls…stronger and faster than them. And if they knew about people that Walkers didn't attack, then they'd get really scared and jealous and do something bad."

"But, I'm a normal person and you told me."

"Oh, Soph, there is nothing normal about you," Xander said. "Remember what I said. You showed how tough and brave you were by being able to survive in the woods for a day, even with dead people trying to get you. You are just as special as Vi."

"But…I can't tell anyone about you can I?"

"No, sweetie. You can't tell. But, since we told you such a big secret…want to know one more?" Vi grinned.

"Yeah! I promise I won't tell."

"We're pretty sure your Mr. Daryl is Vi's brother, and he knows all about her…well, except the Walker part cause they haven't seen each other in a long time. So, when we find them, you'll have someone you can talk to about all of this," Xander whispered in her ear. Sophia's eye grew huge. "Now, come on. We've wasted enough time telling stories. Let's get a move on."

They eventually made it back to the highway and their car. Sophia was confused when Vi said she would have to share the front passenger seat with her. There was nothing in the back seat of the car. When they opened the door and everyone got in though, Sophia could see all of the things packed into the car.

"Wow!"

"Magic," Xander grinned. "Willow, our magic friend…and Giles, he's a good Watcher…they fixed the car so no one could see what was in it."

"That was really smart. There are bad people now that would want to take it from you."

"That's right." Xander started the car and pulled onto the highway. "I don't suppose you know which way we need to go?"

Sophia started to shake her head "no" then stopped and pointed out the window. "I remember that big truck. There was one just like it that used to drive by our house every Saturday. We were going that way." Sophia pointed in the direction Xander was headed.

"Awesome. We don't have to turn around." Xander grinned at the girls and started making his way down the road. They made it several miles without seeing any sign of the group Sophia had been traveling with.

"Where are they?" Sophia asked, tears beginning to spill down her cheeks.

"Hey, hey," Vi cuddled her. "We've only been looking a little bit. Maybe you were further up the road. We'll find them."

"What's that?" Xander asked, coming to a stop. Several hundred feet ahead of them, two people…on horseback…were heading down a side road. The horse riders stopped and looked in the direction of their car.

"I think that's Glenn," Sophia shouted excitedly. "He's one of our group. But, I can't tell who the other person is."

"Well, let's go see if it's your friend." Xander started moving the car slowly forward, trying to make them seem as little of a threat as possible.

"It is him!"

Xander stopped the car several yards away from the riders, and slowly opened the door. "Are you Glenn?" The young Asia man looked shocked, but slowly nodded his head. "Hey. I'm Xander. I think we found something you lost." The passenger door sprang open and Sophia scrambled out.

"Sophia!" Glenn yelled, smiling brightly. He quickly scrambled off his horse and ran to the young girl, pulling her into a hug and spinning her around. "We've been looking everywhere for you. Your mom is waiting back at a farm we found to stay at." Sophia started to sob and held onto Glenn tightly. The young man turned the man in the car and a young women that was just stepping from the side Sophia had emerged from. "I can't believe you found her. Thank you so much for bringing her to us. I'm Glenn, by the way. That's Maggie on the horse. Her dad owns the farm we're staying at. Wow! This is so awesome. Thank you."

Xander and Vi approached the young man slowly. "No problem man. She found us actually. Came stumbling out of woods next to where we had stopped for a break during a very failed hunting attempt. She's a sweet kid. I'm glad we were able to find you. I'm Xander and this is Vi."

"They're really nice. They protected me. They can stay with us right?" Sophia pleaded.

Glenn glanced nervously at the two saviors, but didn't answer Sophia's question. "Uh. You have to come to back with us. Everyone will want to thank you…especially her mother. Carol has been distraught since Sophia went missing." Glenn looked down at the girl he was still holding. "Daryl has been in the woods every day looking for you. He'll be happy to see you too. But, I think he might be upset he wasn't the one to find you."

Sophia giggled. "That's okay. I think he'll just be happy to see us." She gave a quick wink to Vi.

"Glenn, are you sure? We don't know these people," Maggie asked, still sat atop her horse.

Glenn stared at the man and woman. Honestly, he wasn't really sure. But, they had saved Sophia and were trying to get her back to them. Sophia said they were good to her. The guy had an eye patch that made him look kind of worrisome…but there was something about him that said he was a good guy. The redhead with him was smiling brightly and looked happy to have Sophia back where she belonged. He came to a decision.

"Yeah…yeah I'm sure. They protected Sophia and brought her back. The least we can do is let them rest for a bit."

"Alright," Maggie said doubtfully. "The farm is just up this road. You can follow us in."

AN: The Slayer History 101 – Abridged Version was not planned, but the story wrote itself that way. I went back a couple of time to remove that part, but the chapter just didn't work without it. So, thank Sophia's demand for answers for the really long chapter.

Next Chapter: Xander and Vi finally meet up with the group.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Buffy the Vampire Slayer**_** or **_**The Walking Dead**_**. They belong to all of their various people and companies. No profit will be made, no infringement intended.**

AN: I am messing with the timeline for _The Walking Dead_ a bit. Following the timeline set on the show, it should now be the same day as _Cherokee Rose_, but I'm speeding some things up just a bit. I've had how I want Vi and Daryl to reconnect planned for a while now, but if I stayed completely true to the timeline…I'd have to wait another (show) day. So, I am mixing the events of _Cherokee Rose_ and _Chupacabra_ into the same day.

**Chapter Four**

Sophia adamantly refused when Glenn offered to let her ride on the horse with him. It was obvious he was reluctant to allow Sophia out of his site again, but there was no way he would try to force the girl on a horse. She looked absolutely terrified of the idea. He watched as she climbed back into the car with Xander and Vi. They had all agreed it would be best if the car followed them back to the farm instead of going ahead. He and Maggie set the horses into a quick trot as the car slowly followed behind.

"Are you really sure about this?" Maggie asked. She kept glancing over her shoulder at the following vehicle.

"Yeah. They seem like good people. Sophia isn't afraid of them or anything. And if they are good people, and they can help…" Glenn sighed. "The more trustworthy, useful people we can have in the group, the better. When we leave, we'll need all the help we can get."

"When you leave?" Maggie demanded.

"Well, yeah. Now that we have Sophia back, we'll probably want to head out soon." Glenn didn't see the look of fury that covered her face.

"And you'll just leave with them? Just like that?"

"What?" Glenn asked, shocked at the venom he heard in her voice. "Yeah. I mean…I guess…yeah. They're…they're my family. Why wouldn't I leave with them?"

"You're something else," Maggie hissed and kicked her horse into a fast gallop, quickly speeding ahead of him.

Glenn was completely shocked and stopped to stare after Maggie's distancing form. Xander slowly pulled up beside of him. "Everything okay?" Xander asked through his downed window.

"What? Yeah...I...I have no idea what that was about," Glenn sighed. "The world ends and I still don't understand women. We're almost there. Come on." Glenn got his horse moving at a quicker pace. Xander began to slowly follow behind again.

"Any idea?" Xander asked Vi.

"Yup," Vi smirked. "Slayer hearing is really awesome sometimes. He said something about the group leaving now that they had Sophia. She got really upset by it. He got really confused and asked why he wouldn't leave. Then she took off." Vi snorted.

"Oh, that poor man," Xander sighed. Xander could tell by no more than what Vi had told him, and the completely lost look Glenn had, that he and Maggie had been up to something. And Glenn had just blown her off; maybe not intentionally, but the damage had been done. "He is so screwed."

"I think that was the problem," Vi laughed.

"I don't understand," Sophia said softly.

"Neither does Glenn," Xander smirked. "He's discovered that no matter what, men will forever be totally confused when it comes to women. He'll learn to just agree and back away slowly one of these days."

"You're weird," Sophia shook her head. She looked out the window of the car and smiled widely. "Look, I can see a house. And that's the RV!"

Glenn trotted back to Xander's side of the car. "Stay in the car for a bit when we get there. I want to surprise Carol. They're going to be so happy."

"Always happy to help with good surprises," Xander agreed. "Hear that Soph? Think you can sit still just a few more minutes to make a really big surprise for your mom?"

Sophia grinned broadly and nodded quickly.

"Duck down a little so they don't see you too soon. We'll let you know when to jump out," Vi grinned at the happy girl.

Sophia scooched down low in the seat as they followed Glenn into the yard of the farmhouse. They pulled over close to the RV and stopped to wait. Glenn was quickly surrounded by people as he dismounted from his horse.

"Glenn, what the hell is going on?" a big, muscled man with a shaved head demanded. "Maggie got back a few minutes ago and took off to the house in a snit. Then you show up here with strangers."

"Who are they, Glenn?" a woman with long blonde hair demanded.

"Is everything alright?" a man with dark and a scruffy beard asked. He kept looking at the two people in the car.

Several other people were all demanding answers as well. Xander watched as Glenn was surrounded by the blonde woman, a muscular black man, and an old guy with a white beard…and a Hawaiian shirt. Xander decided right then he would get along with that guy just fine.

"They won't even let him talk," Vi mumbled.

"We'll give him a minute, then intervene if it looks like it'll take forever to get out of here otherwise."

Finally, they could hear Glenn raising his voice above the crowd. "Guys! Guys!" Everyone finally began to quieten down. "That's Xander and Vi. We met them on the road…"

"And you just brought them back here?" the shaved head guy yelled.

"Where's Carol? I don't want to have to go over this more than once," Glenn continued with an eye roll. The big guy was clearly fuming, not happy about being ignored.

"I'm here Glenn. What's going on?" an older woman with very short gray/white hair said, stepping out of the RV. By this time several people from the house had joined the group as well. Before Glenn could answer, the passenger side door flew open and a small blur came dashing out.

"Mommy!" Sophia yelled, running for her mother. Carol released a relieved scream and flung her arms around her daughter. They both collapsed to the ground hugging, laughing, and crying. Xander and Vi slowly stood out of their car, but remained standing by the doors. They watched the happy scene with small smiles on their faces. Vi quickly wiped a few tears away.

"So, yeah," Glenn started, grinning from ear to ear. "That's Xander and Vi…and they found Sophia."

Xander and Vi suddenly found themselves surrounded by the rest of the group. They were receiving "thank you"s, hugs, and slaps on the back. They were being bombarded by questions so quickly they didn't have a chance to even begin to answer them. Finally, the dark haired man with the scruffy beard, stepped forward.

"I'm Rick…Rick Grimes. I can't thank you enough for bringing her back. I know her mother is beyond grateful."

"It's no problem," Vi smiled. "She found us. She's such a good kid. We just did what any decent people would do and helped her get back to her family."

"Where you headed?" the shaved head guy growled, making it clear he wanted them to leave. He was obviously getting irate at no one paying attention to him. Xander and Vi shared a look. They knew people like that…and they were never good people.

"We're not really headed anywhere. Just moving around, trying to find somewhere safe," Xander answered, looking the big guy right in the eye. They had a staring contest for several seconds, until the other man snorted and looked away.

"Ain't no such thing as safe no more," he growled and limped back to the RV.

The blonde woman came up to them and put her hand on Vi's shoulder. "Well, you'll at least have to stay with us for dinner. We're so grateful you found her." She then turned and followed the big guy, climbing the ladder on the back of the RV and sitting in the chair, with a rifle across her lap.

"I know one person who might not be so grateful," the old man with the Hawaiian shirt muttered. Everyone gave him a quizzical look. He smirked, amusedly, "Daryl's been out there every day looking. Think he'll be real upset he wasn't the one to bring her back."

"I think he'll get over it Dale," Rick snorted. "Andrea's right though. You should stay for the night at least. Rest up. If that's alright with you Herschel?" Rick looked over at the old man that had come from the house. The man had a pensive look, and was clearly not happy with the situation, but nodded his consent. He, and those that came with him, returned to the house. Rick smiled widely. "It's settled then."

Sophia came back over to them, dragging her mother by the arm.

"Mom, this is Xander and Vi," she introduced proudly. "They took care of me. I know Xander looks like a mean ol' pirate, but Vi says he's really just a cuddly teddy bear. He was really nice to me. And he's funny. Vi is really nice, too."

Xander and Vi smiled widely at the young girl. It was good to see her so happy.

"I can't thank you enough for bringing my girl back," Carol said.

They quickly reiterated that it was nothing for them bringing Sophia back, they were just happy they were able to find her family. Xander and Vi were introduced to the other members of the camp. Shane was the shaved guy with the bad attitude, T-Dog was the muscular black guy, and Dale was the old guy with the Hawaiian shirts. Rick's wife was in the house with their son that had been shot in an accident. They were shuffled over to a small fire where food was being prepared. They went through the story of the failed hunting trip being why they were in the woods, and how Sophia had stumbled upon them. They left the part about the Walker chasing her out…they didn't think the girl's mother could handle that right now.

"Walker!" was suddenly shouted from the top of the RV by Andrea.

Andrea claimed she could kill it with the rifle, but Shane told her they would handle it. Rick, Shane, Glenn, and T-Dog scrambled to grab weapons and took off across the field towards the approaching figure. Xander and Vi moved to the end of the RV to look out over the field with the other campers. Dale said "_Andrea, don't_" as the others made their way into the field. They made it to the figure with weapons raised, only to lower them a few seconds later.

"It's Daryl," Vi whispered excitedly, making sure to say it low enough only Xander could hear. There was suddenly a loud bang from above them, and then Daryl collapsed to the ground. They could hear Rick shouting "No!" in the distance.

Vi immediately took off…at full Slayer speed. She became a blur as she raced to her brother.

"Shit! You have got to be kidding me," Xander grumbled as he took off after the slayer. He had never been more thankful for the years of fighting things faster than him than he was now. Thanks to the conditioning he was able to catch Vi just a few seconds after she reached her brother.

"What are you two doing here?" Shane demanded.

"We need to get him to the house," Rick said, trying to remove Vi from Daryl's side.

Xander moved to keep the other men away from Vi as she looked her brother over.

"_I was kidding_," Daryl growled, looking around him. He looked directly at Vi and scoffed. "Hell! Know my brain's scrambled if I'm seeing you."

"It's just a scratch, you big baby," Vi said, pulling her hand away from the bloody gash on the side of his head. He blinked at her in utter confusion.

"He probably has a concussion. Scratch or not, that's a lot of force hitting the side of his head. And it looks like he had a hell of a time before getting here," Xander told her, kneeling down to take a look at the wounds. "He has a really bad puncture on his left side. It goes all the way through. Looks almost exactly like Kennedy's wound when Rona accidently…on purpose…shot her during training that time. He bound it well though. It's not bleeding too badly." Xander rebound the makeshift dressing Daryl had used…from his shirtsleeves.

"Who the hell are you?" Daryl demanded, trying to shuffle away from the fussing people.

"What the hell is going on here?" Shane hissed.

"We need to get him to Herschel," Rick tried again desperately. Glenn and T-Dog stood behind their leader, shuffling from foot to foot.

Daryl, Vi, and Xander ignored them completely.

"That's Xander. I told you about him," Vi said, moving to get under his arm to help him stand. "Now get up. You know I'm going to tease you forever if you shot yourself with that crossbow, right?"

Xander took up his other side and they began to get Daryl on his feet.

"You're really here?" Daryl slurred. Vi smirked and nodded at him. "Bout damn time." Daryl went limp as he made it upright.

Xander and Vi stumbled slightly under the suddenly dead weight, but quickly got Daryl sorted and started moving towards the house with him.

"_Look at him! What the hell happened_?" Glenn squeaked. He grabbed Daryl's fallen crossbow and began to follow them across the field. "_He's wearing ears!_"

Rick looked at the man suspended by the two newcomers. He grabbed the string with the four Walker ears dangling from it and shoved it in his pocket. "_Let's keep that to ourselves_."

Andrea and Dale came sprinting up to them. "Oh my god. Is he dead?" Andrea gasped.

"Oh, now you worry about it. After you were told not to shoot." Vi snarled at her.

"Hey, who do you think you are?" Andrea sniped.

"Seems like she knows him," Shane growled. He kept shooting angry, distrusting looks at the two people carrying the redneck.

"We don't have time for this," Rick interrupted. "We need to get him in the house so Herschel can work on his wounds."

They made it to the house where the old man from earlier was standing. "Bring him in here."

Vi and Xander placed Daryl on the bed. When Herschel moved to remove his shirt Vi caught his arm, stopping him. "Nobody else touches him," she said coldly.

"I need the pack from the car," Xander told the redhead. He gently moved Herschel out of the way and began to strip Daryl's bloody shirt from his body.

"Herschel's a doctor," Rick protested as Vi dashed out of the room.

"A veterinarian," Hershel answered and Xander's curious glance.

"Field medic," Xander said. "I'd accept any help you could provide, but Vi was serious. She won't let anyone else touch him."

"And who the hell is she to decide who can do anything?" Shane hissed, pushing his way into the room.

"Get out," Vi snarled coming back into the room. She had a large pack that she placed on the bed beside Daryl, unloading a much larger amount of supplies than Herschel had laid out.

"Now listen here…" Shane started trying to crowd the girl.

"We don't have time for this," Rick grabbed his arm, pulling him away.

"You can't be serious! They just show up. They just happen to have Sophia. And they just happen to know Daryl! Don't tell me you don't see something wrong with this!" Shane fumed.

"Actually, this is the first time I've ever laid eyes on him," Xander quipped, not denying Vi knew Daryl. "Now, get out so we can get him patched up." Xander looked up and glared. "And so help me, if you come within ten feet of Vi again you had better pray someone is there to protect you."

"Are you threatening me? What are you going to do?" Shane fought Rick's hold.

Xander laughed darkly. "Threatening? No. Just fair warning. And Vi doesn't need me to do anything. She can take care of you all on her own." Vi smirked at Xander, and to prove his point, grabbed Shane by the back of his pants and tossed him from the room. Rick quickly left the room, casting a confused look over his shoulder. Vi slammed and locked the door behind them.

"Shouldn't have done that," Daryl groaned. "He's gonna be an even bigger ass now."

"Please, he's about as terrifying as a Pomeranian. Yaps about like one too," Vi grinned. Daryl snorted, then groaned clutching his side. "Just be still. Let Xander...and…uh, Herschel take care of you."

"I'm fine."

"Uh huh," Xander poked him near the hole in his side. Drayl growled and flinched away. "Yeah. Now be still or I'll make Vi hold you down."

Daryl grumbled unhappily but let them stitch him up.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Buffy the Vampire Slayer**_** or **_**The Walking Dead**_**. They belong to all of their various people and companies. No profit will be made, no infringement intended.**

AN: There will be character bashing…some more hostile than others. I will warn before this occurs. So this is a warning. There will be bashing of Shane from this point on.

**Chapter Five**

Daryl turned out to be just as much of a pain to fix up as any slayer had ever been. He grumbled and complained…no, he **bitched**. Granted, he wasn't as loud about it as the girls, but be bitched and whined just like any of the slayers when they were injured. Xander was smart enough not to bring it up. He was sure Daryl would punch him…just like one of the girls. He worked steadily to get the man patched up, pretending not to hear the threats against his manhood being muttered.

Herschel asked about his horse. Daryl growled something about it trying to kill him. Herschel was not impressed, and flatly told the man if he had bothered to ask he would have been told that that horse would probably throw him.

"What else happened? 'Cause you're way more beat up than just getting thrown off a horse," Vi asked. She gently brushed away a lock of hair, ignoring the flinch her movement caused.

"We got a missing girl. Was out on top of a ridge, tryin' ta get a better look around. Damn horse spooked and I rolled down the ravine. Crossbow went off sometime during the roll…ended up with one of my own arrows in my side," he growled. Vi hid a smirk. "Fell again when I tried to climb out without pulling the arrow. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, we were just bringing back your missing girl." Xander replied, getting some small satisfaction by finishing the last stitch less than gently.

"You seem to have everything well in hand here. I'm going to leave you to it," Herschel said as he left the room.

"You found Sophia?"

"Yep. We were in the woods…Xander was trying to hunt something besides Spam…when she came running out of the tree line where we had stopped. One of the dead was after her. We dealt with it, got her calmed down. She told us how she was separated from her group. It was too late to start looking for her mom, so we spent the night in a cabin, and headed out this morning. Luckily we ran into Glenn and Maggie on the highway…and here we are."

"Hell. I've been bustin' my ass lookin' for that girl and she just runs right into you? Ain't that a bitch?"

"Yup," Xander tapped down the bandage to protect the stitches on Daryl's head.

"And she told us all about the cool Mr. Daryl with his crossbow, and how he told her stuff about hunting," Vi grinned at him. Daryl shifted uncomfortably. "I'm so glad we found you. We headed out to look for you as soon as we could. I've missed you."

"Pfft," Daryl shrugged, looking warily at Xander. "Ain't nothin' ta miss. Ya got all them special friends a yours now. Why'd ya want ta do a fool thing like look for me for?"

"Cause you're my brother, ya big dummy," Vi slugged Daryl in the shoulder. Daryl sucked in a pained gasp. "Oh, sorry. Sorry."

"Watch it. Don't you undo all my work," Xander admonished. He moved to take a chair beside the bed. "So, I'm Xander…friend, backup, and general patcher-upper." Xander held his hand out to the man on the bed. Daryl looked at the offered hand, but made no move to take it. Xander pulled back with a small understanding smile.

"Sis told me 'bout ya when she was here a while back," Daryl nodded at the man. "Should beat your ass for the shit you've drug my sister inta." Xander nodded he understood. "She says even if ya'll weren't there, she may have been Called. Least ways she ain't alone. But I'm tellin' ya now…somethin' happens to her 'cause ya dropped the ball and I'll kill ya."

"I'd die for any one of the girls before I'd willingly stand back and let anything happen to them," Xander promised. He held Daryl's gaze for a minute. Daryl gave an accepting nod. They understood each other.

"Men," Vi huffed. Xander and Daryl smirked at her.

"Why are you here? Your whole group with ya?" Daryl shifted to a more comfortable position. He quickly ducked the hand that tried to brush his hair again.

They settled in and told him about everything that had happened since the dead started walking. They explained setting up Cleveland and the groups moving out to try to set up other areas to protect more people. They explained the odd reaction the dead had to them. Daryl listened as they described traveling south from Ohio, meeting people, and telling them about the safe haven in Cleveland. They ended with a more detailed account of finding Sophia and meeting up with Glenn on the highway.

Daryl grunted at that. "Least I don't gotta worry about ya gettin' eaten as long as you stay around. But you stay with Cyclopes there all the same, so he can just make them go away. Too bad that trick don't work on stupid pricks." They could hear Shane's belligerent voice drifting through the window.

"Ah, no. I'm more like a stupid prick magnet. Spent more time than I'd like to admit running from guys like him in high school," Xander sighed.

"Please, he doesn't even rate as high as a fly," Vi scoffed.

"You watch out for him," Daryl nudged her with his foot. "He's snappin'. Pretty sure he used a guy as bait ta get away from some Walkers. He's losin' it and that makes him unpredictable. Unpredictable is dangerous."

"That's why Drusilla always scared me more than Angelus ever could," Xander shrugged a shoulder at Daryl's questioning look. "Two vampires we faced years ago. Angelus might have been some badass, two hundred-fifty year old master vampire, but he was predictable…stalk the girl, draw creepy pictures of girl sleeping, brag how he would gut us all…yada yada…wash, rinse, repeat. But Dru, she was bat-shit crazy. The stars spoke to her. You never knew if she was going to try to kill you or cuddle you."

"Okay. Stay away from Crazy Bull. Got it."

Daryl nodded then winced in pain. Vi pulled the pack to her, then shook out a pill from the prescription bottle she found. She held it out to Daryl.

"Don't need no drugs," Daryl scoffed.

"You're in pain. Just take it."

"I said I don't need no drugs. Leave it."

Xander recognized the look Daryl was giving the pill in Vi's hand. It was the same look he used to get anytime someone would try to get him to drink a beer. It was a look of fear…fear of becoming the thing you hated most in the world. He pulled the pack over to him.

"Here. Over-the-counter stuff." He held two small pills out to the man on the bed. Daryl stared at him for a moment but didn't see any deceit in his eye. He reluctantly took the pills, and swallowed them dry.

There was a knock at the door. "Can I come in?" Sophia called nervously.

Vi smiled at her brother as he shifted uncomfortably on the bed, pulling the sheets up under his chin. When he gave her a gruff nod, chewing frantically at his lip, Vi moved and opened the door. Sophia stood shuffling from one foot to the other, her mother had a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"We've been making dinner, but she's been pacing the entire time. Sorry if we're bothering you," Carol said softly.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all. We were just talking," Vi smiled widely, standing aside to let the women enter.

Sophia shifted a few more times, then rushed to Daryl's side. He nearly jumped out of his skin when she quickly latched onto his hand. "I'm so sorry you got hurt looking for me Mr. Daryl," she began to sob.

Daryl looked beyond uncomfortable. Xander understood it was a combination of not really knowing what to do with a sobbing little girl, and not wanting to look soft in front of others. Xander also knew when a little girl needed you, you did whatever it took to make her feel better. Xander took pity on him and moved towards Carol. "Hey, why don't you take me out to the others so I can face the Spanish Inquisition I know is waiting?" Carol looked at her daughter unsurely. Xander dropped his voice, "Soph will be fine. Daryl's pride took a hit today. Let him be soft without an audience."

"Vi…" Carol started.

"Is his sister," Xander whispered. Carol looked shocked. Xander nodded. "Yeah. I bet she's the only person he has ever shown a soft side. Let them comfort Sophia. Let her know none of this was her fault."

"Sophia, honey. I'm going to take Xander out to the others. You be good and don't tire Daryl out. Okay?"

"I'll be good, momma. I promise," Sophia sniffled. Carol gave her daughter a soft smile and followed Xander out of the room, closing the door softly behind her.

"Let up, yer gonna break my hand," Daryl gently pulled his hand away, chewing furiously at his lip. He was completely lost on what to do.

"Sorry," Sophia whispered.

"Ah sweetie. Don't listen to him. He's just being a big ol' baby. You weren't hurting him."

Sophia looked up at Daryl through the hair that had fallen in her face. Daryl gave a small twitch to his lips. It wasn't a smile, but it was enough to let her know he wasn't mad at her.

"Momma told me you had been looking for me ever since I ran into the woods. Thank you. But I'm so sorry you got hurt looking for me."

"Ain't nothin'. Just a scratch. I'm glad yer okay."

Vi motioned for Sophia to take the corner of the bed she had been sitting on. Vi moved to the seat Xander had vacated.

"Vi and Xander kept me safe. They saved me from a Walker that was chasing me. If they hadn't been there…"

"Hey, none of that," Vi rubbed circles on Sophia's back. "We're just glad we found such a brave and tough girl."

"You listen to her," Daryl nodded towards Vi. "She knows all about being brave and tough."

"Cause she and Xander are really real heroes?"

Daryl looked shocked and confused.

"We told her everything…mostly. There were some Walkers and she seen them run from Xander. She knew something was up and demanded answers." Vi smiled. "She's not just brave and tough. She's really smart, too."

"That is really smart," Daryl said softly.

"Xander is a hero 'cause he protects and helps people even though he doesn't have to, right?" Sophia asked seriously.

"That's right," Vi answered, wondering what the girl was thinking.

Sophia's face became determined as she looked at Daryl. "You're a hero, too Mr. Daryl. You didn't have to look for me, but you did. You were trying to help me and you got hurt. You're a hero just like Xander." Sophia leaned up, quickly placed a kiss on Daryl's cheek before he could pull away, and then scurried out of the room.

Xander was wishing he had stayed in the house, Daryl's pride be damned. As soon as he stepped off the porch, Shane was in his face. Spittle was flying from the man's mouth as he huffed and puffed, trying to intimidate. Xander was not impressed. For over a decade, he'd been best friends with a short, perky, tiny blonde that was scarier at a shoe sale than Shane could ever hope to be. What Shane was doing though…was pissing Xander off.

"Hey, Roid Rage. Get the hell out of my face and I might be able to answer some questions."

"What the hell did you just call me?" Shane yelled, standing nose to nose with Xander.

"You heard me. And I know it's the apocalypse and everything…but don't you brush your teeth? Halitosis is not your friend." Xander snarked, waving his hand in front of his face.

"I'm going to…."

"Shane! That's enough!" Rick got between the two men. "We've all got questions, but this isn't helping. Now, let's all just calm down. Xander, we're all real grateful for Sophia…but ya got to admit, this seems suspicious." Xander glared at Shane a minute longer before flashing a disarming smile at Rick, making Rick visibly relax. "Now, you want to tell us what that was about in that field?"

Xander slowly brought his hand up and nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Daryl is Vi's brother." Several shouts of surprise and disbelief met his statement, then everyone's voice clambering above the others demanding answers. Of course, it was Shane that shouted the loudest.

"Bullshit. You expect us to believe that? You just show up out of nowhere, with a missing girl, and that girl with you just happens to be Daryl's sister?! Ya'll ain't seriously buying this?! Nah, man. Something ain't right."

"And I really don't care if you believe me or not. They're siblings. They were in different places when shit hit the fan. You have more questions than that, you ask them. Their life story is not mine to tell, and I happen to respect a person's right to keep some things to themselves. When we found Sophia, she talked about a Mr. Daryl. From the description, Vi thought it might be her brother; but there was no way to know for sure, so she didn't say anything earlier…no point if it wasn't her brother," Xander edited. There was no way he could explain they were tracking a **feeling** that Vi was having. "Then someone comes stumbling out of those woods and just as she realizes it's her brother…he gets shot? Yeah, she went into protective mode. Anyone would have in that situation."

"I am so sorry," Andrea moaned.

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to," Xander shrugged. "But when someone tells you not to do something…there's usually a good reason to listen to them." Andrea hung her head.

"Who the hell are you to patronize her?" Shane growled.

"In case you missed it, she just barely grazed Daryl. If she had been off the slightest bit more, it could have been any one of you in that field that she could have shot. I'm not patronizing her. Just pointing out that she might want to listen sometimes, instead of trying to prove herself. Especially when it's the big-bad-manly-man, which tells her it's best to let the menfolk handle it, that she's trying to impress. That's stupid shit, and stupid shit gets you dead."

"You sonofabitch!" Shane charged at Xander again, only to again be caught by Rick.

"Shane, calm down," Rick pulled the fuming man a few feet away. "Could you try not antagonizing him?"

Xander just stared at Rick with a raised eyebrow as if asking _You're kidding right? The guy is a nut!_ Rick sighed with a minute nod.

The old man in the Hawaiian shirt, Dale, came up to Xander. "Well son, despite what others might think…it's a wonderful thing that Daryl's sister was able to find him, and that you brought Sophia back. And don't be too hard on Andrea, we've all wanted to shoot Daryl at one point or another."

Xander laughed softly. Yeah, from the small bit he had been around Daryl, he could see having the desire to shoot him. Or at least smack him…repeatedly…with a brick.

"Yeah, man. What are the odds, right? Daryl's lost sister finding the lost little girl he was looking for…" T-Dog rubbed his bald head.

"Just a lot of crazy coincidences," Xander muttered.

"Crazy's right," Shane snarled. "You're crazy if you think we're going to believe this bullshit story. Nah, man. Know what I think? I think you and that redneck have some scam cooked up."

"What?" Andrea gasped. "Shane, you can't be serious."

"They saved my little girl," Carol said timidly.

"How? How could they be planning something? They didn't even know Daryl was here until this afternoon," Glenn defended.

"Think about it, ya'll. Daryl, he don't want nothin' to do with none of us…then all the sudden that girl goes missin' and he's all part of the group now. I bet this asshole and that bitch he's with have been following us. Bet Daryl knew they were there. Hell, they probably had that girl from the minute she hit those woods. Notice how Daryl always went off on his own? Bet he was meeting these assholes; getting us all to think he was some good guy doing something honorable for the group. All the time, though, all the time he was tricking us into trusting him. Just waiting for us to let our guard down. Then he'd bring these jerks in here and…rob us blind, kill us all in our sleep."

"That is ridiculous!" Dale yelled.

"You can't be serious!" Glenn gasped. He eyed Shane like he had grown a second head, grew horns, and turned purple. Xander knew that look, it was the same look he had when he ran into a horned, two-headed, purple Snetechi demon.

"Shane, there is no way they could have something like that planned. Sophia ran into the woods 'cause she was scared. Walkers were after her. You going to try to say they had something to do with that herd on the highway?" Rick scoffed.

"Why not man? We don't know. They could have been doing something to lead them right to us for all we know."

"You're a special kind of insane, aren't you?" Xander asked, wide-eyed. He knew the guy had a few screws loose, but this was beyond anything he had imagined. "I knew a guy that was a total germ-a-phobe that wanted to turn into a giant snake and eat the world that was less insane than you. They always tell you steroids will mess with your mind, but really. If they've made you this insane, what'd they do to your dick?"

Shane bellowed in rage and began to rush at Xander again; only to be suddenly slammed to the ground, smacking his head hard on the hardened dirt. It took him a few seconds to shake the cobwebs from his mind, only to realize he couldn't sit up because of a heavy weight pushing on his chest. He focused on the foot holding him down, and followed the leg up, only to realize it was Daryl's sister, Vi, that had him pinned. Everyone was standing around with gob-smacked expressions, not knowing what to do. Except Xander…and Daryl. Xander was smirking at him, and Daryl was nearly frothing at the mouth in anger.

Vi and Daryl had made their way outside when Shane started on his crazy theories. They made it out just as Xander had called Shane insane. When she realized he was about to attack Xander, Vi reacted, getting between the two men and slamming Shane away. Daryl slowly made is way over to his sister.

"Ain't nobody tryin' to do no harm to this group but you," he hissed. "Ain't nobody better than these two. They'd do anything they could ta help anybody. I'm gonna warn ya now though. Call **my sister** a bitch again, and I'll gut ya."


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Sorry for the long time between updates…RL reared its ugly head. Should be able to make updates quicker for the next bit (no term papers due in the near future) and I have half of the next chapter finished.

**Chapter Six**

Shane had stormed off to lick his wounds and try to gather his tattered pride back around himself. Nothing is quite as emasculating as having a wispy, petite woman plant you on your ass; and Xander should know, he'd had tiny wispy women knocking him on his ass for years. Xander and Vi shared a look, agreeing they would need to keep a very close eye on the man. Xander had a feeling the bomb Jack had built in the high school broiler room had more time left on it than Shane did.

Carol had shepherded Daryl back into the house and to bed. Daryl had tried to protest, but Sophia was standing on the porch begging him to please go back to bed, so he wouldn't be hurt any more. That had put an end to his verbal protests. Although, it was clear to anyone who cared to look to know he was not happy about being ushered away.

Once the temperamental redneck had been taken away, Vi had found herself surrounded by the others. Questions were flying faster than she could possibly answer. Although Xander found Vi's predicament rather entertaining…he'd just had to deal with the same thing a short while ago, after all…he took pity on the slayer. Although she had been with them for over five years now, Vi was still Council raised, and had problems dealing with other people from time to time.

"Hey, hey, hold up," Xander raised his hands, getting everyone's attention. "We know you all have questions. We don't have a problem answering them. But, could we do this a little more…civilized? Isn't dinner about ready?"

Dinner was much calmer than the Slayer and Watcher had expected. They were barraged with questions, but it wasn't the cacophony of noise it had been before. They were able to answer the questions one at a time…as truthfully as possible, with careful editing. Many of the uneasy and distrusting looks began to ease and disappear altogether as the meal progressed. The real icebreaker was the four boxes of Twinkies brought in from the car. Everyone was in a better mood after consuming the sugary-goodness. With the exception of Shane claiming that the treats were probably poisoned, everyone had a pleasant meal.

Vi had gone in to check on Daryl. Daryl was adamant that she and Xander use his tent. Claiming that it only made sense, since it was already set up. Vi was pretty sure it was Daryl's way of trying to take care of her, but didn't say anything.

"You know, I heard Carol before I came in here," Vi started.

"Yeah, so?" Daryl asked gruffly, uncomfortably shifting on the bed.

"She's right, you know. You are a good man…and a hero, just like Sophia said. Don't ever let anyone tell you any different. I know from experience how good of a man you are…it's time you started to see it, too. The others…dad and Merle…they're gone. You can be who you really are now. No more hiding."

"Whadda ya know about it?" Daryl snarled. "You weren't there. You was just gone. All I had was Merle. Don't think ya know me."

"I know after I was taken by the Council, I would go to bed every night thinking of my big brother and wishing he was there with me," Vi said softly. She leaned over and brushed a kiss across his cheek. "There, I missed the stitches." With a final gentle pass of her fingers over his arm, she left the room.

One good thing to come out of the zombie apocalypse…humans were officially off the dinner table for vampires and other nasties. The day after the dead started walking in Cleveland, Xander and Buffy had been out when they came across a vampire trying to feed. The vamp had taken one mouthful, before violently throwing its victim away. Buffy said it looked like the time Angelus tried to eat one of the swim team with the mermaid DNA. The vamp had run. They tried to help the woman, but the vamp had ripped her throat out. They had examined the body for scratches or bites to try to explain the vamp's reaction, but there was not a mark on her, other than where the creature's fangs had torn out her throat.

They stood by the body for several minutes discussing what could have caused the reaction, when the body began to twitch. Buffy and Xander watched in horrified awe as the woman came back, not a vampire, but a zombie. They quickly dispatched the poor woman and continued on their way. They found the vamp a few blocks away. It was violently ill, writhing in pain on the sidewalk. Buffy approached the pathetic creature. It begged for death; it couldn't feed. The humans were poison now.

They thought it was a fluke, but over the next several days they found others with injuries…a gunshot wound to the chest, a broken neck, even one who had clearly slit their wrists…but no bites. That was when they realized it didn't matter how you died, you would turn. Before the news reports ended, there were odd reports of people setting themselves on fire. The vampires were walking out into the sun, their main food source was gone.

Not having the nightlife to worry about any longer meant that the Slayers, and Watchers, changed their sleep habits. As a result, Xander and Vi were now up, just before sunrise, while the rest of the camp was still asleep.

"So, what's the plan?" Vi asked Xander.

Xander stared across the dark fields. He was silent for several minutes before answering.

"I don't know. We need to keep looking for a place to secure, but until Dawn and Faith meet up with us…there isn't a lot just the two of us can get done. Even if we…well, don't have some of the worries that others do."

"True. So, do we just keep moving around? Or…"

"You don't go nowhere without me," Daryl huffed, limping out to join them. Vi scowled at him as he lowered himself to the ground between the two. "Couldn't take another minute in that bed. So, what, ya plannin' on cuttin' out already?"

"Not so sure we'd be welcome to stay here," Xander shrugged.

"These are good people. Rick…he's done right by me. Rick tries…but these people? They need help," Daryl said slowly, as if embarrassed by his own words. "Most of 'em are scared of their own shadow. Ain't no way they're gonna make it without help. They got two kids. You two could make sure nothing happens to them."

"Aww, you're just a big ol' softy," Xander grinned.

"Don't think just 'cause you took care of my sister for the last few years don't mean I won't beat yer ass," Daryl growled.

"Don't worry big guy, you're secret is safe with us," Xander slowly extended his hand to pat Daryl on the shoulder. Daryl flinched slightly, but allowed the touch. "We heard about the boy. Haven't seen him yet. And Sophia…" Xander trailed off.

"That little girl will be crushed if ya just leave," Daryl mumbled.

"And we don't want to leave her either. But, still, not big with the welcome," Vi pointed out.

"They're just cautious is all," Daryl shrugged. "Give 'em a chance. They was talking about target practice…most of these people got no clue how ta use a gun. Show 'em what ya can do. More people able to fight the better chances we all got. You **can** shoot a gun, right?"

"Yeah, we can shoot," Xander smirked.

"I'll talk ta Rick. He's decent. He'll see the sense in having two more able bodies around," Daryl gave a short nod, chewing on the skin around his thumb nail.

"You're attached to them." Vi stated as fact, slight surprise creeping into her voice.

"These people…they got no clue," Daryl hesitated. "Rick…he'll try to protect 'em. But, none of 'em know how to hunt…to track. Most of 'em couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with a rocket launcher, let alone shoot a Walker in the head. They need all the help they can get."

Vi smiled proudly at her brother.

"Rocket launchers make great birthday presents." Xander mused. Daryl looked at the one-eyed man like he had gone 'round the bend; Vi smirked knowingly, having heard the story of setting off the rocket launcher in the Sunndydale Mall to defeat The Judge.

"Well, if we want to ingratiate ourselves to the group, maybe we should break out some of the supplies. The Twinkies were nice, but I bet the kids, at least, would love to get some pancakes, we have several of those just add water and shake mixes and a bottle of syrup…break out some of that Spam we have…I think there are a few cans of that potato-meat hash stuff," Vi suggested.

"You have pancake mix and hash?" Daryl asked, his eyes lighting slightly. Xander and Vi nodded. "Hell yeah. Get it out."

Breakfast proved to be a hit. Everyone, even Shane, was ecstatic to have the pancakes…something no one thought they would ever have again. Rick had nodded at the two newcomers appreciatively. His son, Carl, had joined them for the first time since getting shot. His reunion with Sophia, and the excitement of having pancakes had gone a long way to lift everyone's spirits. Daryl had sat silently off to one side, a slight knowing smirk playing at his lips, as everyone gushed and offered profuse thanks to his sister and her companion.

While Xander had been in a spirited conversation with Dale about the wonder that was a Hawaiian shirt, with Glenn and T-Dog listening in horrified awe, and Vi had been surrounded by the women, Daryl approached Rick about including the two in the group. Rick was willingly reluctant to include Xander and Vi. He explained his hesitance because of the secretive nature the two had. He knew there were many things Daryl's sister and her friend were not telling them, and that made him nervous. Daryl argued that they would only do what was best for the group. That the two were the best protectors anyone could wish for. When Rick asked why Daryl was so certain they were so great, Daryl had clammed up; raising the former sheriff's suspensions even further.

"Just trust me," Daryl said quietly. "My sister and her friends…they're good people. They've been protecting people for a long time. That's what they do. We need more people. Ya know that. Xander, he spent time in Africa. He's a survivor. And Sis…she's the bravest and strongest person I know."

"You've never mentioned her before," Rick accused.

"Yeah, well, you've never said nothin' about the rest of yer family either," Daryl defended. "She weren't here. She was with her friends. Had no way of knowing if she was alive or not."

"Shane thinks they're trouble."

"Shane's off his rocker," Daryl snarled. "Don't tell me you don't see it."

Rick didn't defend his former partner, instead he stared off into the fields. After several minutes he said, "You vouch for them?"

"Yeah, man," Daryl nodded. "Let 'em show ya what they can do. Take 'em out for practice."

"Alright. I trust your judgment," Rick nodded and walked away.

All through breakfast Xander had noticed the nervous glances Glenn kept sending at the barn. The young man couldn't be more obvious if he had a giant flashing neon sign over his head. It was as he watched Glenn glance nervously to the barn, to the house, then around the group that Xander realized…these people didn't know what he and Vi had realized as soon as they ran through that field towards Daryl. There was no mistaking the smell that had wafted over field on the wind currents as they ran towards Daryl's fallen body. Xander was just surprised to realize no one else had seemed to figure things out until now. According to Daryl the group had been there for a few days now…how could they not pick up on the smell, even if they didn't get close enough to hear the groans?

"See something interesting?" Xander asked the Asian, hiding a smirk as the man nearly jumped out of his skin.

"**What!**" Glenn exclaimed, nervously glancing towards the house and the young woman standing on the porch. "No, nothing. Why…why would you ask that?"

"Oh, no reason," Xander rocked on his heels. "It's really nice here. It was really good of Herschel to let you all set up camp here."

"Yeah, the Greens are good people," Glenn fidgeted.

"Yeah, really good people. You'd think they'd have you set up over by the barn instead of here in the yard though. The barn would be more secure," Xander said innocently.

"Uh…uh…well, you see…"

"But then, I guess Herschel doesn't want anyone to realize what's in there."

Glenn froze, staring wide-eyed at the man beside him. He opened and closed his mouth several times before he was able to stammer, "You know?"

"You know, the smell of death…the smell of decay and rot, it's very distinctive," Xander evaded. "When Vi and I ran out to Daryl yesterday, we couldn't help but notice the smell floating over the field. And since the wind was blowing from the direction of the barn..."

"Oh my god," Glenn gasped. "I…I didn't…I guess I've just gotten so used…"

"Hmm," Xander rocked on his heels. "Must be quite a few…one or two wouldn't have been that noticeable."

"A dozen or so," Glenn said quietly. "It's their family, friends…neighbors. They think they're just sick. Like it's a flu or something and some cure is going to fix them. But, there is no cure. We were at the CDC when it blew. Jenner said…the doctor…he said there was no cure."

"Hmm. Figured there probably wasn't," Xander continued to rock on is heels. "So…you and Maggie…and she doesn't want you to tell her family's secret?"

"Yeah," Glenn fidgeted. "But, Herschel…he doesn't understand. They've been isolated here. They don't know what it's like out there."

"I'll talk to him. I understand holding out for a miracle," Xander glanced at the nervous young man. "I'll let ya know how it goes."

"Thank you!" Glenn smiled at the new guy. He liked Xander and Vi and hoped they would stick around.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Buffy the Vampire Slayer**_** or **_**The Walking Dead**_**. They belong to all of their various people and companies. No profit will be made, no infringement intended.**

A/N: Not really happy with the ending explanation…but I can see Xander floundering and using this. It's kind of an "uh huh" explanation, but I think for the circumstances it works. No one really wants "truth" anymore.

**Chapter Seven**

Rick had invited Vi and Xander to join the others in target practice; much to the protests of Shane. Daryl had sat back, smirking knowingly at his sister and her friend. Nearly everyone had left the farm for the practice. Shane and Rick set up targets with the two of them and T-Dog standing back to assist with the others.

Xander and Vi stood back letting the others take their turns. They shared a horrified look. Daryl wasn't exaggerating when he said these people needed all of the help they could get. In that moment, they decided they would be staying with the group for as long as possible. Vi's stance changed, becoming more authoritative as she accepted her new tribe. Xander looked over his pack, his remaining eye going unnoticed as it flashed an eerie green.

Shane made his way over to the two with a cocky swagger and mean smirk on his face.

"Rooster and Eula, gonna show us what ya can do?" he mocked.

"Shane!" Rick yelled, getting between them. "If you're gonna stay, we need to know what ya can do." Rick pulled the two away from the group. "Daryl says you two have skills. We need the help protecting the others. I need to know what ya can do. I need ta know if ya're gonna be a help."

"We'll help all we can," Vi nodded. "You don't need to worry about us."

"Set up some targets for us," Xander agreed. "Varying distances…something moving. We'll show you what we can do with a gun."

Rick nodded his understanding and moved to set up the targets. There were several cans and various other targets set up as well as a swinging log marked with a target area. Vi was the first to take her shots, then Xander. Shane stood back, smirking meanly when only one set of shots could be seen on most of the targets.

"Look again, Crazy Bull," Vi scoffed. "Xan taught me…I know exactly where every one of his shots are."

"No fuckin' way," Shane snarled as he pulled stacked bullets from the swinging target. "This is movie shit, this don't happen in real life!"

"It's like rope, ya never know when it's going to come in handy…sometimes things need more than one bullet," Xander grinned evilly.

The two found themselves surrounded by the others receiving congratulations and requests for pointers. Rick was grinning from ear to ear. Daryl was right, they would be a benefit to the group. He gave each one a friendly slap on the back and nod officially welcoming them to the group. Finally, everyone broke away to go back to practice…this time with Vi and Xander assisting the others where they could as well.

Andrea was showing a real knack for shooting. Shane swaggered over to her, while Xander was correcting her stance, "Yer pretty good. Think yer ready for the advanced lessons. Stay after everyone else leaves, and I'll show ya what to do."

Andrea glanced nervously at the muscled man huffing over her. She had not forgotten what Xander had said about her mistake because she was trying to impress someone. She had nearly killed Daryl because of that mistake. She did not want to be that woman…the one that thought she had to hide behind the strongest man and use her body to get there. She was strong in her own right, dammit! Shane had been antagonizing Xander and Vi since their arrival for no reason. They had been nothing but helpful and friendly since they arrived. Vi was Daryl's sister, and she and Xander had proven they could handle themselves. Andrea decided it was time to be the strong woman she knew she was. She glanced at Xander on the other side of her. He was not happy with Shane's approach.

"Thanks, Shane," Shane smiled cockily, throwing a mean snarl at Xander. "But, I've been working with Xander for about an hour now. I don't think I want to change trainers…different styles and all of that. Xander and I are working really well together, and I think he and Vi have shown they can teach us anything you or Rick can." She flashed a saccharine smile.

Shane growled and stomped away. "Oh, you shouldn't have done that," Xander whispered.

"I'm not afraid of him," Andrea declared, even as she fidgeted watching the large man walk away.

"Uh huh," Xander nodded. "Nothing wrong with being afraid…sometimes it's smart to be afraid. He tries anything, you run to Daryl, Vi, or me…we'll protect you."

"Why?" Andrea asked unsurely. "We're…I'm nobody to you. And Daryl has shown he doesn't care about any of us."

"Daryl asked us to stay for **all** of you," Xander stated. "Don't think just because he keeps to himself he doesn't care. Men like Daryl…they need people, even if they won't admit it to themselves. You are all HIS. And that means something to someone like him. Don't think he wouldn't go to hell and back for each and every one of you."

"And you…and Vi?"

"I've been protecting people since I was fifteen…don't see that changing anytime. And Vi…well, she was born to protect people. It's in her DNA. Between the three of us, anything that wants to get to any of you will have to go through hell."

Andrea looked into Xander's eye and shivered. She had no doubt in that moment that every word he spoke was truth. She nodded her acceptance and turned back to her target.

Xander followed Herschel across the field. When the older man paused at a section of downed fence Xander moved up beside him.

"Need some help? I'm pretty handy with a hammer," Xander offered.

Herschel eyed the one-eyed man suspiciously. He was not happy with all of these people showing up and making themselves at home on his farm. This man…Xander and the girl he came with had been the center of several confrontations since their arrival. However, they had found the missing girl, and treated a wounded man…their confrontations had been brought on by someone else, not something the two had initiated. He was not happy with their presence, but they had been nothing but polite and helpful to everyone who treated them the same. He did reluctantly admit, to himself, that the repair of the fence would be much easier with two people than one.

"Are you sure using a hammer won't be an issue?" he asked, gesturing to Xander's missing eye.

Xander smiled brightly, expecting that question. "I was a construction foreman before I lost the eye. After…things were pretty chaotic, and it was pretty much do or die learning to compensate. I haven't so much as run into a door in four years." Herschel nodded his acceptance and the two began the repair work on the fence.

"I heard you and your friend were rather impressive at practice this morning. Beth and Patricia couldn't quit gushing about Vi at lunch."

"Yeah, Vi is a natural at weapons. She can pick up anything and be an expert in no time. I've just had lots of practice. Shooting was a form of rehab for me when I lost the eye. I had been pretty good before, and I was determined to stay that way. As I learned compensation, I got better…I'm better now than before I lost it. I think we surprised some…impressed a few others. Totally pis…ticked off one," Xander grinned.

"Hmm. Is that wise?"

"Probably not," Xander shrugged. "The guy has some serious issues. He's…he's like the spoiled child that had their favorite toy taken away and now is throwing the ugliest temper tantrum possible. It's just instead of crying and stomping his feet…he's yelling and throwing punches."

"But you are going to continue to taunt him," Herschel stated. "Like questioning his…," he gestured to his crotch.

"When I was in school, I had guys like him after me all the time. I learned to fight back with words. Old habits."

"And how did that work out?" Herschel glanced at the young man, moving toward the next post.

"Oh, I got the snot beat out of me," Xander smirked. "But, I never backed down. I protected others from them, even if it meant I would be bloody or broken. And in the end, I'm still standing. I'm still protecting as many people as I can. Isn't that all we can do now? Protect each other. It's not just the dead walking around that can hurt someone."

Herschel looked at the young man thoughtfully. He held his head high, his expression open and honest. Xander was a good man. Herschel still didn't want these people on his farm, but he could respect the man beside him. They worked in a comfortable silence for many minutes.

"It was rather fortunate, your…friend…finding her brother like that," Herschel said leadingly. "A miracle some might say."

_More like the Powers playing bend-over-and-grab-your-ankles._ "I don't know about a miracle, but definitely lucky. We were in Cleveland with some friends when all of this started. We worked with our friends to get a safe area set up. Once that was done, we decided we should go out and try to help others. Vi and I headed south. We were on the road for two weeks before I even knew she had a brother. At least, I finally understood why she wanted to get to Georgia so badly."

"You didn't know she had a brother?" Herschel asked. "You seem very close. Having a brother seems to be something you would know about someone you are that close to."

"Yeah, Vi's one of my girls," Xander smiled. "I'd do anything for any of my girls. They're all like annoying little sisters…that can totally kick my as….ah, butt. We're a family. Vi didn't grow up with Daryl…some stuff happened and Vi went somewhere else when she was five. She grew up very isolated and alone. She didn't have anyone to tell her secrets. Old habits, ya know?"

"It sounds like she had a very sad childhood."

"It could have been worse," Xander shrugged. "Yeah, she was isolated…but she was taken care of for the most part, fed, given medical attention if she was injured. She changed a lot from the little sister Daryl had raised, so she was afraid to look for him when she got older. She finally got the courage and she reconnected with Daryl a few months ago. She was planning to introduce all of us, but then this happened. In the chaos that is an apocalypse she fell back on old habits and kept the details of her brother to herself. No big deal, I'm just glad she finally told me so I could help her…then Sophia literally fell in our laps, and well…here we are."

"And you don't see that as a miracle? Finding the lost girl that was traveling with your friend's lost brother?"

"I'd rather be aware of the reality of a situation than put stock in some higher Power intervening with miracles," Xander whispered. "When I was a kid, I had this best friend. We had been together forever, we even shared a crib. For as long as I could remember, Jesse had been there. Then later, our other friend Willow joined us, and the three of us were inseparable…but me and Jesse, we were always there for each other. When we were fifteen he got…our town had these gangs…they were bad, kidnapped people, and either you joined them or they tortured and killed you."

"My god," Herschel gasped.

"Yeah. But, once they made you one of them…you weren't you again. There was no way to get someone back. They took over your mind, got you…addicted to blood and death. They turned you into something else. Something evil and twisted that looked like you…but it was only a mask to hide the evil. Everything that made my friend, my friend was gone…there was only a shell walking around with his face. No matter how much I prayed, wished…waited for a miracle…my friend was never coming back," Xander's breath hitched. It still hurt to think of Jesse.

"Like I said, these gangs liked to kill people. They came up with a plan to lock a bunch of kids in the local teen hangout and kill everyone. Another friend and I heard about it, and went to save everyone."

"What about the police?" Herschel asked, shocked the man was talking about fighting gangs when he was just a teenager.

"They were a joke," Xander snorted in derision. "They were in league with the gangs…the whole town government was in on it, all the way up to the mayor. But, they came up with this plan…called it The Harvest. There had to be a couple hundred kids at the club that night…and they were going to kill them all." Herschel looked uncomprehendingly at Xander. He was not able to conceive anyone, no matter how corrupt, allowing the murder of so many children. Xander nodded sadly.

"There was a reason we called the town SunnyHell. So, this new girl had moved into town, and she found out what was happening…and she was going to stop it. She was like…this super fighter…like a black belt in every martial art you can name, and could use any melee weapon like you would not believe. I couldn't let her do it alone. They had taken my friend Willow too, and I was going to help get her back."

"So, we snuck in. There were a couple of other people helping us. I went over to help this girl…most popular girl in our school, had made my life hell, and the girl Jesse was "in love with". Jesse appeared, decided he was going to take her, and show her what she had been missing. I couldn't let him do it. No matter how nasty she may have been, I could not let her become one of them," Xander's breath hitched again.

"So, I got between them. Jesse tried to talk me into joining them…to get me to let him have her…but there was no way I could do that. I wasn't talking to **my friend** any more…it was something evil, dead standing in front of me. I held a…a…a _knife_ I had brought with me up between us. I was bluffing, trying to get him to go away…but he was shoved from behind. "He…he was shoved right onto the knife. I killed my best friend."

"Oh, son…"

"It nearly killed me. I hated myself for a long time after that. Kept thinking…what if I could have gotten through to him…what if I had stayed away and just given him time, maybe he would have come back from that place. But, I finally realized something. Those people…those things…had infected my friend. My friend was gone forever, and just this thing that was rotten on the inside remained. He never would have wanted that. The real Jesse would have been horrified to know what his body was doing. I granted him a release from the horror that he couldn't give himself, because he was gone and never coming back."

Herschel shifted uncomfortably next to the young man. He didn't know what to say to what the man was telling him…but he had a feeling he knew why he was being told. They worked for a while longer in silence; Xander getting his emotions back under control, and Herschel dreading the conversation he just knew was coming.

"Your farm is really amazing. All of these open fields. I noticed yesterday when Vi and I ran out to Daryl…the wind carries the scents of everything over the field. There must be a large honeysuckle patch nearby," Xander began.

"There is, just inside the tree line, not far from where Daryl came out yesterday."

"I thought so. Honeysuckle has a very distinctive scent," Xander nodded. "I noticed another rather distinctive scent too. Coming from your barn."

"That is rather unfortunate. I would appreciate it if you would not say anything about that," Herschel said defensively.

"I think there is enough tension among the group, without me pointing out something that any one of them should have noticed by now. Although, I think Glenn may know…I noticed him staring at the barn a lot this morning, and looking incredibly nervous. I can't promise anything there, but Vi and I won't say anything…for now. It becomes a real danger to the others, and I don't promise anything. I protect others, no matter what." Herschel nodded his understanding. "Who are they? You wouldn't have them there if they weren't important to you."

"My wife…my son…friends, neighbors. They are just sick. I believe there is a cure out there. They are not in their right mind."

"Hmm, Okay. That's your right to believe," Xander accepted Herschel's statement. "But think of this. _**IF**_ there was a cure…if you could get the part of them that is gone back...how would they react? Would they be able to live with the actions their bodies were carrying out when they had no control? Could they accept that they had hurt others? And what about their bodies? Is this cure going to fix the rot and decay? What kind of brain would be left for a mind to be restored? Or would they just be returning to a body, only to die painfully from the rot and decay invading them? There may be some kind of vaccine for those of use still living…but that's all. And think of this, these…bodies… only eat, never seen one trying to drink water. You've got a medical background, what happens to a body when it doesn't have water? How long can a human live without water?" Xander nodded at Herschel and left him with his thoughts. Before getting out of earshot, Xander turned back with a final comment, "We've all lost people to this disease, or whatever it is. Vi and I lost more than most before this even started. There have been entire families lost to this…be thankful you still have part of yours left. But, don't think you're the only ones who've lost someone. Everyone here would understand how you're feeling right now."


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Buffy the Vampire Slayer**_** or **_**The Walking Dead**_**. They belong to all of their various people and companies. No profit will be made, no infringement intended.**

A/N: Full time student, full time job, and full time mommy. Sorry for the delay in this chapter. Part of the delay has been RL, part has been a chapter (many chapter from now) that wanted to be written NOW, so I've been working on that…and now I need to fill in everything between then and now. Semester ends 12/13 and I will be off work from Christmas Eve through the New Year, so hopefully I can get more chapters out then. I want to thank everyone for the reviews so far. I love hearing what everyone thinks so far.

**Chapter Eight**

Xander sat back and watch as everyone ate the breakfast of fresh eggs that had been prepared. He just knew this was going to be a suck-tastic day. Glenn was fidgeting worse than Willow at a sweater sale. He watched as Glenn glanced nervously at Dale, then around the group. That's when Xander realized, he wasn't the only one that knew Glenn's secret…and Dale was probably encouraging/demanding Glenn to come clean. Joy! Xander just sat back and waited for the fireworks to start. Vi and Daryl glanced at him curiously, picking up on his mood. Xander merely smirked and nodded at the young man moving to stand at the front of the group.

"_So, yeah…the barn is full of walkers_," Glenn stated. Everything stopped. All eyes turned towards the fidgeting young man. Glenn nearly collapsed as sound exploded around him. The next several minutes were a cacophony of noise and chaos.

Daryl glanced quizzically at his sister and Xander. They nodded in confirmation. Daryl replied with a quick nod of his own. If they were not worried, he didn't see a reason to be worried either. He knew, if there was any true danger, it would have been dealt with already. They tuned back in as Dale explained how Herschel saw them as his family.

"_You knew_?" Shane demanded.

"_I thought we would be safe for one more night…I was right_," Dale defended himself.

"There are thick locks…the doors are secure," Xander spoke up.

"How the hell did you know about this?" Shane yelled, moving to get in front of the one eyed man.

"Because I fuckin' pay attention!" Xander shouted, his patience at an end with the insane threat among them. "Every single one of you should have smelled them by now! Vi and I realized it as soon as we ran across the field."

Shane and the others drew back, shocked. How had these two realized something in such a short time that they had not realized in several days?

"You've all let yourselves go nose-blind." Vi stated. "You don't smell them anymore. That's dangerous." Everyone shifted, unsure what the young woman was talking about. "Sophia told us about the…the herd…you all had on the highway…" receiving several nods, she continued her explanation. "You all should have smelled them coming. How long did it take for you to see them?"

"They were almost on top of us," Dale whispered sadly.

Xander shook his head. "Don't **accept** the dead. They are wrong! Remember that. You have to keep your senses open to the wrongness…or you're all dead. The barn…it's secure, for now. From what we can tell…no one has really been around it enough to rile the dead up…they're just in a holding pattern for now. But, ya all go messing around down there…they're gonna notice, and then shit is gonna hit the fan."

"Xan's right," Daryl spoke up. Everyone looked surprised at the familiar form of address, but didn't comment on it. "How many a these things we seen just standin' around…until they get a whiff a us? They smell us…sense us…whatever…and they go rabid. They's calm in that barn right now…let them be. Long as that chain holds…ain't nothin' ta be worried 'bout."

"Ya can't be serious!" Shane shouted. "We know about what's in there…what wants ta kill us! And ya just want ta ignore it? Maybe that's the plan…get us all secure like, and open that barn when we least expect it!"

"Dude…seriously. Time to disembark from the Crazy Train," Vi huffed.

"I'm crazy?" Shane shouted. "I'm trying to protect this group! I'll protect them from everything, including you…you little bitch!" Shaven moved to backhand Vi, but Daryl was there before he had a chance. Shane quickly found himself on his back, Daryl's wickedly sharp knife digging dangerously into his neck, while the man had a knee pressed hard into his chest; at the sound of a gun cocking, he looked up to find Xander standing over him, gun aimed at his head. Both men were nearly frothing in their anger.

"I told you, ya call my sister a bitch one more time and I'd gut ya!" Daryl shouted in the man's face. "Give me one reason why I don't do it now?"

Shane was struggling to get free, but was failing miserably. Rick was trying to get to the trio, but was finding his path blocked, surprising by Dale and Andrea.

"Let them deal with him," Dale whispered. "Shane's losing it. We can all see it. Maybe they can knock some sense back into him…and if not, well…"

"He's getting dangerous, Rick," Andrea agreed. "At target practice yesterday, if Xander hadn't been there to work with me…Shane scared me Rick. I don't ever want to be alone with him."

Rick looked at the two, shocked at what he was hearing. He knew his best friend had been wound tight lately, but he hadn't realized. What Andrea was implying…that wasn't his best friend. He finally really looked at the man growling on the ground and realized, for the first time, his partner…his best friend since forever, may truly be lost to him forever. He nodded reluctantly and stepped to the side to watch the events unfold.

"Rick! Stop this," Lori yelled as she tried to run to the trio. T-Dog grabbed her around the waist and shook his head, holding her firmly. She continued to struggle to get free until she seen Rick shake his head and move to stand behind Daryl, one hand on Vi's shoulder. Vi glanced at him and gave a one armed shrug with a grimace.

"Go ahead ya fuckin' redneck druggy scum!" Shane spit out. "Prove to everyone yer no better than that worthless doped out brother of yers!"

Daryl dug his knife in hard enough to create a trickle of blood. "This ain't about Merle," he hissed. "He has his demons…but I ain't him! This is about my sister! She and Xan would do anything to protect nearly anyone. If they say that barn is secure…it's secure. Now, why shouldn't I gut ya fer callin' my sister a bitch after ya was warned?" At that moment Xander pressed his gun to Shane's forehead, precisely between the eyes…and switched the safety off.

"Guys really," Vi huffed, tired of all the testosterone in the air, "I can defend myself from an idiot who shrunk his dick by abusing steroids. He's just pissed my non-existent dick is bigger than his."

Glenn snorted, then covered his face, mortified by his reaction. His snort, however, was quickly followed by that of Carol and Andrea. Soon, everyone was grinning or chuckling at the young red-head's comment. Even Xander and Daryl found themselves chuckling at the imagery she created.

Xander un-cocked the gun, while Daryl dug his knife in a bit deeper, just enough to leave a definite mark but no real damage, before the two moved away from the downed former law officer.

Xander and Daryl moved to Vi's side. "He's still a human," Xander said low enough for only the three of them to hear. "He does anything, you let your brother or I handle it." Vi gave Xander a hard look, but nodded. She didn't like it, but she knew, as a Slayer, she couldn't harm a human…even if Shane barely qualified as such.

Everyone broke up shortly after. Shane stormed off to "stand guard" at the barn. Everyone else moved around getting the day's chores completed and making sure anything needed was taken care of. At some point throughout the day, everyone gave Xander, Vi, and Daryl a nod…except Lori. With each nod they received, the three realized they had the support of the group. Xander and Vi solidified their personal claims on the group with each acknowledgement they received. Daryl was beginning to realize just how much a part of this group…this family…he had become; each nod had his head coming up and his shoulders squaring off little by little.


End file.
